


New Secret Avengers - The Legacy

by Daredevilosa



Category: Avengers (Comics), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, Romanogers - Fandom, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, romanogers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-11
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2018-12-26 14:10:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12060594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daredevilosa/pseuds/Daredevilosa
Summary: For those who followed my Romanogers trilogy, Kiss me in the Rain, The Civil War Upon Us and New Secret Avengers, I present the sequel to the story of the New Secret Avengers, after that One Shot. I confess that I still do not know if I'll let it be a one shot or if I'll write more chapters of that story. I hope you like it!





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [New Secret Avengers - The Legacy](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/322320) by Daredevilosa. 



**\- Hiiii! Hello? Anybody home?**

From inside her bedroom, Sarah recognized that voice, she widened her eyes and rose from the bed immediately.

As soon as Sarah opened the bedroom door, she came across with Natasha, leaving her room.

**Sarah: MOM! It's her! She came back!**

Sarah screamed and ran to the stairs.

When she reached the stairs, Sarah confirmed her suspicions. It was Maggie, her beloved sister, who was back after a long period away from home.

Maggie smiled at the sight of her sister and propped her backpack on the floor and walked toward the stairs.

**Sarah: Mag!!!**

Sarah hurried down the stairs and hugged Maggie so hard she almost knocked her to the ground.

**Sarah: I can’t believe you're here!!!**

**M: I am! Believe.**

**Sarah: I'm so happy!!! Oh my God!**

**M: How are you?**

**Sarah: I'm fine!!! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?**

**M: I wanted to surprise you.**

**N: That was a great idea and a great surprise, Maggie.**

Maggie looked at Natasha and released Sarah to hug her stepmother.

**N: It's so good to see you. You're so grown up.**

Natasha pulled her away so she could look at her better.

**N: And you look beautiful. As usual.**

**Sarah: Oh my God, I missed you so much!!! I don’t believe you finally here!**

**M: Me too, Sarah. Where's dad?**

**N: He went to pick the twins at school. We didn’t know that you would come, otherwise we would have gone to pick you up at the airport.**

**M: But it was a surprise.**

**N: Your father will be very happy to see you. I’m sure.**

Maggie smiled.

**\- Margareth.**

Natasha, Sarah, and Maggie looked at the boy at the door of the house, holding a small suitcase.

**M: Vinny! Come in...**

Maggie walked to the door to bring Vinny inside.

Sarah and Natasha looked at each other and made expressions of surprise and approval at the same time, because the boy was very handsome.

Maggie brought Vinny to Sarah and Natasha in the center of the living room.

**M: Vinny, this is my sister Sarah and this is my stepmother Natasha.**

**V: Nice to meet you two. I've heard a lot about you and everything Maggie said about your beauty is nothing compared to what you really are. Goddess.**

The boy had a different accent, Natasha deduced that he was Spanish, he kissed the back of Sarah's hand and then Natasha’s.

Sarah tried to contain the excitment, but he was being too gentle and polite, she blushed and hold Natasha's arm tightly.

**M: Natasha... Sarah... This is Vinny.**

**N: Vinny?**

Natasha watched the boy to trace his profile.

**Sarah: Is he your boyfriend??**

**N: Sarah!**

**Sarah: She didn’t tell me anything about having a boyfriend!**

**N: Are you from here, Vinny?**

**V: Actually, I'm Irish.**

**N: Irish? Your accent sounds more like Spain.**

**V: Yes, my mother is Spanish, I was born in Ireland but I was raised in Spain.**

**Sarah: Why didn’t you tell me anything about him? You should have told me!**

Sarah was looking at Maggie, who was smiling and paying attention to the conversation between Natasha and Vinny.

**M: He was raised in everywhere. Tell the truth, Vinny.**

**V: Yes, I usually travel a lot, since very Young, but it’s true, my childhood was more in Spain.**

**N: And you've met where exactly?**

Natasha took the boy by the arm and led him to the living room sofa to question him.

**V: We...**

**M: At a party.**

Maggie helped Vinny.

**Sarah: Party?? Are you going to parties?**

Sarah was outraged, she knew nothing about Maggie meeting boys and going to parties. This is not the sweet and quiet Maggie who left a few years ago, she was very shy and didn’t want to know about boys.

Maggie approached the sofa, but stood with Sarah.

**M: Vinny is a model at my agency too and at one of the agency parties, we met and ended up doing some photoshoots together.**

**N: Oh, I see.**

**M: Natasha, I was wondering if Vinny could stay here with us. I'll only be here for four days.**

**N: Well...**

**Sarah: Dad does not allow boyfriends inside the house. That’s the rule!**

**M: He's not my boyfriend.**

Maggie smiled and sat down on the couch.

Natasha watched Maggie and then Vinny.

Maggie seemed to believe that this thing between her and Vinny is just friendship, but Vinny is clearly in love with her. Natasha knows by the affectionate way he looks at her.

**N: I think that's okay.**

**Sarah: What??? Mom!**

Everyone heard the sound of a horn being squeezed non-stop.

**M: What is it?**

Natasha rolled her eyes.

**N: The twins! They arrived.**

Maggie got up and looked out the window.

**M: Oh, so it's my father!**

Maggie ran to the door of the house.

Steve parked the car on the sidewalk and watched the young blond woman standing on the porch of his house.

Steve took a few seconds to acknowledge his daughter, I mean  he acknowledged her yes, but it was hard to believe that she was there. Maggie said she would only have time for visit by the end of the year.

Steve took off his seatbelt and got out of the car in a hurry.

Maggie ran to Steve and hugged him. Steve lifted her off the groung and spun her into the air.

**S: I don’t believe it! Maggie! I missed you, daughter.**

**M: Me too, Dad.**

Steve put Maggie on the ground and looked at her.

**S: Look at you! You're so grown up, I didn’t notice the time passing like this.**

**Nick: Maggie!**

**Lotte: Mag! Mag!**

Nick and Charlotte ran and hugged Maggie's waist, who kissed their faces.

**S: I hope it's not just a visit, I hope you're here to stay.**

**M: Dad... Four days...**

**S: Four days???**

**M: Do not complain. Last time it was only two days.**

**S: Nick and Lotte go get yout backpacks in the car.**

Nick and Lotte rushed back to the car, while Steve put his arm around Maggie's neck and walked with her into the house.

**S: I'm so glad you're here!**

Natasha was talking to Maggie's friend on the couch when Steve came in and looked at them both.

Steve broke the smile at once, he looked at Vinny and then at Sarah, reprovingly.

Steve pointed at Vinny nervously.

**S: Sarah, you have another boyfriend now??? Look, I'm not going to let you keep changing your boyfriend like this all the time. We already talked about it and...**

**N: Steve!**

Steve looked at Natasha and he was so nervous that he didn’t want to let Natasha talk, but he started to fight with her too.

**S: Are you seeing what it's like to be a liberal parent? She is boundless and don’t say that she falls in love easily, she does not... This is not love, this...**

**M: Dad...**

Maggie put her hand on Steve's belly so he would calm down and look at her.

Steve looked at Maggie.

**M: His name is Vinny and he's my friend. I brought him.**

**Sarah: A-HA! Apologize to me right now!**

**N: Sarah, don’tt push your luck.**

**S: Your friend?**

Steve was disappointed.

Natasha got up and walked over to Steve.

**N: Come and meet him.**

**S: No.**

**N: Steve...**

**S: I don’t want to lose her either.**

**N: It's a friend and not a boyfriend.**

**S: Last time, you said that abou Sarah and that boy, and then they were kissing.**

**M: I don’t kiss him, Dad. You don’t have to worry.**

Maggie smiled.

Steve released Maggie and went to Vinny who stood up and squeezed Steve's hand to greet.

**V: How are you, sir?**

**S: Fine.**

Steve looked at Maggie.

**S: Friends? Just friends?**

**M: Yes, dad.**

**N: Maggie asked if Vinny could stay with us during these four days she'll be in town.**

Natasha positioned herself behind Steve and grabbed his arm.

Steve looked at Natasha and she nodded.

**S: Oh... Doesn’t he have a family to visit and stay?**

**N: Steve, he's not from here.**

**V: I can go to a hostel too, no problem.**

**M: If you go to a hostel, I'll go too.**

**Sarah: What? What about me???**

**N: No way, Maggie. Vinny can stay here, yes.**

**S: Where is he going to sleep?**

**Sarah: He can sleep in our room.**

**S: No way!**

**N: In James' room.**

**M: I miss James, I never see him when I'm here.**

**N: I'll call and ask him to come home. It's been months since I've seen him, too.**

Maggie looked at Sarah who still seemed annoyed that she was not aware of all the news in her life.

**M: There will be another party tonight. It will be downtown.**

**S: Party?**

Steve frowned.

**S: Where?**

**M: Six Club.**

**Sarah: Six Club?? It's a nightclub, we're not old enough to come in.**

**M: It will be a private party of the fashion agencies, it will have many celebrities and important people there.**

Sarah pretended to be disinterested.

**M: And I can take whoever I want... As a VIP.**

Maggie emphasized to ease things with Sarah.

**S: Hey, hey, no one goes to nightclub in this house. You are very young.**

**Sarah: But Dad!**

**S: No way. That's my final word.**

Sarah snorted.

**M: Do you want to see what I brought you?**

**Sarah: Yes!!!**

**M: Let's go up to our room!**

**Sarah: Okay.**

**Lotte: I'm going too.**

**Sarah: No, you’re not!**

Charlotte frowned.

**Lotte: Mom?**

**N: Girls...**

**Sarah: Mom, we'll talk about...**

Sarah looked at Steve and changed her tone.

**Sarah: About... clothes, she does not understand. And she messes with my things!**

**Lotte: No, I don’t!**

**N: Lotte, let them talk a little. I'll let you go there later.**

Lotte ducked her head and made sad face.

**N: Do not be upset. Do me a favor, take Vinny to James's room.**

Natasha looked at Nick.

**N: Nick, help him with the suitcase, please.**

...

Inside the room, Maggie inspected the bed to see if everything was as she had left, then the closet.

**Sarah: I stole your skirt, I fit into it now.**

**M: Okay.**

**Sarah: Why didn’t you tell me anything about Vinny? About going to parties? Why didn’t you say anything?**

**M: Because every time I call, you have so many things to say that I forget. It was not my intention, I just like to hear your stories.**

**Sarah: Is he just your friend?**

**M: Yes.**

**Sarah: But he already kissed you?**

**M: Yes.**

**Sarah: You didn’t like it?**

**M: Uhm... No. I don’t know.**

Maggie shrugged.

**Sarah: God, you're so weird. He's such a hot guy. You should date him.**

**M: Yes, but I can’t feel anything. I wanted to feel, but I just don’t.**

**Sarah: Oh! I wanted to go to the party today so badly! I've never been to one, Daddy never allows it.**

Sarah threw herself on Maggie's bed and snorted.

**M: We will go to the party.**

**Sarah: You heard Daddy, he said it’s his final word.**

**M: Yah, but your mother can convince him.**

**Sarah: Only if she went along he would permit.**

**M: She can come with us, it would be fun.**

**Sarah: But wouldn’t it be strange to take a Mom to the club?**

**M: Natasha is pretty cool and she still look Young and beautiful, she does not look like our mother, she seems like our friend. Would she accept it?**

**Sarah: I think so.**

**M: Let's call her here.**

**Sarah: MOM!**

**_N: What is it, Sarah?_ **

Natasha asked from downstairs.

**Sarah: Come here, please, I need you!**

Natasha sighed and stroked Charlotte's hair.

**Lotte: I'll go along.**

**N: My love, she didn’t call you. Stay with your father, I'll be right back.**

Natasha went up the stairs and into the girls' room.

Sarah pulled Natasha by the hand and closed the door behind her.

**N: What is it, Sarah?**

**Sarah: Maggie has a party to go to today and she invited me.**

**N: The night club?**

**M: But it will be like a matinee, most of them will be teenagers, all models of agencies. And adults are also models, artists, agency owners and clothing brands.**

**N: Your father already said no.**

**Sarah: Mom, talk to him, please.**

**N: Even if I say so, he won’t let you two go to such a place.**

**M: I've been several times in those places, Natasha.**

**Sarah: In a nightclub?**

Maggie was taking some things out of her backpack and putting them on the bed, and speaking naturally.

**Sarah: Damn it, Mom, even Maggie went to the nightclub and I didn’t! Maggie!!!**

**N: I bet your dad doesn’t know about it.**

**M: My grandmother knew and she didn’t care.**

**N: I'm sorry, Sarah. I'm not going to fight with your dad over a party. You will grow and you will go wherever you want, if you have money.**

**Sarah: I want to go now! I've never been to parties.**

**N: You've been to your friends parties.**

**Sarah: Oh, at their mother's house! Not the same thing.**

**N: For me you could go, but...**

**M: Come with us!**

**N: What??**

**Sarah: Yeah, Mom, if you go, Daddy will let us go, he trusts you.**

**M: Please, Natasha.**

**Sarah: Mom!**

**N: Uhm... I don’t know. It's been a long time since I've been to this kind of place.**

**Sarah: Oh please, Mom.**

**N: Andy ou don’t mind hanging around with someone much older than you?**

**M: Of course not, you're so cool.**

**Sarah: Dad would be embarrassing, but not you.**

Natasha gave a discreet smile, she loves the fact of being the nice mom now, since in the past, she was the boring who corrected and disciplined and Steve that allowed them to play with everything they wanted.

**N: I'm going to talk to your father.**

**Sarah: That’s it! Thanks Mom.**

Sarah kissed Natasha's face.

**N: Alright, alright.**

Natasha smiled and left the room.

Steve didn’t really see any problem, when Natasha said she would go along to that party with Sarah and Maggie.

Later, Steve entered his bedroom and placed the newspaper on the desk, he heard the sound of the bathroom door being opened and looked at Natasha.

Steve looked her over from head to toe.

Steve frowned.

**S: Where are you going like this?**

**N: For the party, Steve! With the girls!**

Steve opened his mouth to say something, but words were lacking to say, he followed Natasha with his gaze, who went to the dressing table and took a pair of earrings and a bracelet.

**S: Oh...**

Steve could only make that sound.

**N: What?**

Natasha looked at Steve through the mirror.

**S: You look... gorgeous.**

Natasha smiled.

**S: Too gorgeous to be honest.**

Steve frowned again.

**S: Isn’t it a little too much for a party??**

Steve’s voice even came out very thin.

Natasha frowned a little.

**N: What do you mean? That I should go like ugly?**

**S: No... No.**

Steve looked down and he was terribly bothered by Natasha's look.

Natasha walked over to him and made him look into her eyes.

**N: Are you okay??**

**S: Yes, yes. I was thinking too much, but I remembered that it will only have young people there.**

Steve gave Natasha a peck on the lips.

**S: I hope you will not be long there.**

**N: Why, Rogers?**

**S: Because I want to have some fun tonight too.**

**N: You will.**

Natasha smirked and gave another peck on Steve’s lips.

**N: See you later.**

Natasha left the room and called Sarah and Maggie.

**N: Come on, girls.**

Charlotte opened the door of her room and looked at Natasha.

**N: Don’t look at me like that, Lotte. You know you can’t go because you're not old enough.**

**Lotte: Being a kid sucks! I can never have fun!**

**N: You have your brother to play with and your father is at home.**

**Lotte: But I can never go with you to anywhere. Sarah don’t let me do anything with her!**

**Sarah: What? You’re the one, who never want to do anything without Nick!**

**Lotte: He's my brother!**

**Sarah: He's a boy! He should do things with James and you with me.**

**Lotte: You're a sexist!**

**Sarah: You don’t even know what sexist means!**

**Lotte: Sexist. Person who has particularities or characteristics that denote sexism, which shows any kind of discrimination based exclusively on someone's gender!**

Sarah rolled her eyes.

**Sarah: That's why I don’t go out with you. You like to show yourself, no one likes nerds like you!**

**N: Sarah!**

**M: I'm a nerd.**

**Sarah: But you don’t act like Lotte. You're my favorite sister. The only one I like.**

Lotte frowned, snorted, and slammed the bedroom door to shut.

**N: Sarah, you shouldn’t say such things.**

**Sarah: I didn’t mean it, mom. You know Lotte is too boring just because she's smart, she deserves a lesson.**

Sarah, Natasha, and Maggie went downstairs, arguing with each other about Lotte.

Maggie's friend had left earlier, claiming he had to go to the agency, meet his manager, but he will find them there at the party.

Charlotte was leaning against the door and listening to what Sarah said, she looked at Nick.

**Lotte: She deserves a lesson!**

Charlotte opened the door.

**Lotte: Let's teach her a lesson.**

Charlotte opened the bedroom door and looked at Nick.

**Lotte: Come on, come on!**

Steve was leaving the room and saw Charlotte and Nick in the hallway.

**S: What are you doing?**

**Lotte: Playing hide and seek.**

Charlotte smiled.

**S: Okay. I'll make us some pizza for dinner. Behave.**

Charlotte nodded.

Steve messed with Nick's hair as he passed him.

Steve came downstairs and Charlotte ran into Sarah's room. Nick stood in the doorway to let her know if Steve returned.

...

In the car, Sarah was sitting next to Natasha and Maggie in the backseat.

Sarah was sitting on her side so she could look at Maggie, who answered her questions about the time she was out.

**N: So, Vinny...**

Natasha looked at Maggie in the rearview mirror.

Maggie shook her head.

**N: Just friendship?**

**M: Yes.**

**Sarah: He seems to like you.**

Maggie shrugged.

**M: I know, but I don’t feel anything for him anymore.**

**N: Have you felt anything before?**

**M: Yes, when we met. Nothing strong, I just liked his company.**

**N: I understand.**

**Sarah: But did you kiss him? More than once?**

**M: Of course, we did everything.**

Maggie rolled her eyes and shrugged again.

**M: Just confirmed that we are really just friends.**

Sarah frowned, confused.

**Sarah: What do you mean by “we did everything”?**

Maggie shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

**M: You know... Sex?**

Sarah was so shocked by the information and the way Maggie was talking about it naturally, that she could not even scream, she just stood there gaping and staring at Maggie in shock.

Natasha looked surprised, but not in shock.

**N: Well... You used protection, right?**

**M: Of course.**

Maggie replied, a little offended.

Sarah looked at Natasha, as if expecting Natasha to fight with Maggie, and ask more about it.

**Sarah: And... and, was he your first?**

Sarah asked in a lower tone and she felt extremely sad and strange, because Maggie was no longer a virgin and she was. What was expected was the opposite.

Maggie shook her head.

**Sarah: What???? Wasn’t him your first? When did this happen?**

**M: Earlier this year, I think. I don’t remember.**

Sarah turned to sit properly on the bench and Maggie watched her.

**M: I didn’t tell you, because I thought you already imagined it.**

**Sarah: How could I imagine something like that???**

**M: Well, you have a boyfriend and had others before this one. I thought you already would have done it. Are you a virgin?**

**N: Yes.**

**Sarah: MOM!**

**N: You are!**

Sarah folded her arms.

**N: Sarah, remember what I said... It's about when you feel comfortable.**

**Sarah: No, you told me to not do it!**

**N: I said that, but you didn’t do it, mainly because you didn’t want to.**

**Sarah: I wanted to do it! I feel things too!**

**N: Then do it.**

Sarah looked at Natasha in shock. Natasha didn’t care.

**Sarah: I can’t do it!!! How can you tell me to do it??? You're the mother here.**

**M: Why can’t you? If you want to do it... I don’t see what’s the problem here.**

**Sarah: I... I'm not...**

Sarah silenced herself for a few seconds.

**Sarah: I'm not married.**

Natasha gave a short laugh.

Sarah was red and exalted.

**Sarah: I mean I don’t know if I'm going to marry him, so I won’t do it now. I should wait, right?**

**M: Will you stay virgin until your marriage?**

**Sarah: No!**

Sarah looked confused.

**Sarah: But I... I'm going to do it with who I think I'm going to marry.**

**M: You're just like dad!**

**Sarah: I'm not!**

**N: And like James.**

**Sarah: I am Nothing like them, I’m like mom.**

**N: It's okay, Sarah. Seriously, you’re always thinking too much about what your friends are already doing or not. This is not how you live, I don’t want you to do something that you will regret. I think it's lovely that you save yourself for your future husband.**

**M: I think so, too.**

**N: I would have saved myself for your father, not until the wedding, I mean sex is too good, but if I had known him before, he would have been my first and my only one.**

**Sarah: God, this is disgusting!**

Sarah rolled her eyes.

**Sarah: I am the virgin now. I can’t believe!**

...

Meanwhile, Steve was on the phone with James.

**_S: Your mother said that if you don’t show up here until tomorrow, you don’t have to come back anymore._ **

**_J: She's not serious._ **

**_S: Do you want to try to see if she’s for real?_ **

**_J: No._ **

**_Lina: Say it, James. Say it._ **

**_S: What is Lina talking? I can hear her voice._ **

**_J: Oh, it's because tomorrow we have availability, yes, but we scheduled to have lunch with Lina's parents first._ **

**_S: James, you will only get things worse with your mother, your mother will think you’re trading her for Wanda and you know how she is with Wanda._ **

**_J: I know._ **

**_Lina: We're going to eat with my parents, you promised._ **

**_S: Look James, I have an idea... Why don’t you come here? And I call Wanda and Vision to have lunch here with us._ **

**_J: Just a minute._ **

Steve heard James and Lina arguing on the phone for a few minutes.

**_J: Dad?_ **

**_S: Yes._ **

**_J: We will._ **

**_S: Great._ **

**_J: Did Maggie bring something for me?_ **

**_S: As far as I know, no, she didn’t._ **

**_J: But did she bring something to Sarah?_ **

**_S: James, you're 22 and you'll be a father in a few weeks._ **

**_J: But it's not fair._ **

**_S: I need to hang up, my cell phone is ringing._ **

**_J: See you tomorrow, Dad._ **

**_S: See you soon, son._ **

Steve ended the call and answered the cellphone.

**_S: Nat._ **

**_N: Steve, the twins are asleep?_ **

**_S: No, they're kidding in the bedroom, I let them stay up late. Why is it so noisy there?_ **

**_N: It's a party, Steve._ **

**_S: Are the girls having fun?_ **

**_N: Yes._ **

**_S: And you?_ **

**_N: Also, but..._ **

**_S: What?_ **

**_N: Nothing, but I wanted you here with me._ **

**_S: Why??? Something happened???_ **

**_N: No, nothing. Geez... I just want to kiss you and..._ **

Natasha stopped talking when a man approached her.

**N: No, thanks. I'm married, see this ring?**

Steve was listening.

**N: No, he's not here. It doesn’t matter what you think, I'm not interested! Yes, I'm really a bitch and I won’t talk to you if I don’t want. Yeah, yeah, go, go away. Get over it.**

**_S: Natasha???_ **

Natasha stopped arguing with the third man of the night who came to flirt with her. Despite wearing a huge wedding ring on her finger, the men were still coming at her all the time.

First Natasha was enjoying all the atention, it have been a long time since she didn’t go out and have men flirting with her, so it made her feel good and wanted, then started to irritate and leave her in a bad mood, she wanted Steve to be with her there, so it would be easier to dance and Interact with people.

**_N: Steve, I'm sorry, I'm going to hang up._ **

**_S: What? No. Who were you talking to???_ **

**_N: No one._ **

**_S: I heard you, Natasha._ **

**_N: Don’t worry._ **

**_S: I am worried, Natasha. I am worried, now._ **

**_N: Steve, I’m an adult, okay?_ **

**_S: I'll go there._ **

**_N: No. Why??_ **

**_S: I don’t want those men hitting on you._ **

**_N: Steve, calm down. I want you here, but I don’t want the twins alone at home._ **

**_S: I'll find a way. Wait for me._ **

Steve found a way. An hour later, he appeared at the entrance of the club, he was blind for a few moments, the atmosphere was very dark and the lights didn’t stop flashing and they were of all colors.

Steve saw a crowd of people clustered on the dance floor, jumping and dancing and started looking for Natasha or the girls.

...

**Sarah: What is that?**

**N: Oh, that’s for me. Sorry.**

Natasha took the glass from Sarah's hand.

**Sarah: Is this alcohol? I just drank alcohol???**

**N: Yes. Did you like it?**

**Sarah: Hm... Yes. This is yummy.**

**N: It's Sex on the Beach, the name. Here. Keep mine.**

**Sarah: Really?**

**N: Yes, why not? I'll get another one for me. I’ll be right back.**

Natasha left the dance floor and went to the bar.

Sarah took more of the drink and Maggie smiled.

**M: Take it easy.**

**Sarah: I can’t believe I'm in a real club. This is better than I imagined! And this is very yummy, I’LL DRINK THIS FOR THE REST OF MY LIVE**

Sarah drank more of the drink, almost finished with everything.

**Sarah: AAAA. Let's Dance!**

**M: We are dancing!!!**

Sarah started to jump in circles, holding Maggie's hand and she stopped for a minute.

**M: What?**

**Sarah: Oh my God! I think I saw dad.**

Sarah frowned and looked again.

**Sarah: OH MY GOD!!! IT IS DAD!**

**M: Where??**

Maggie looked toward the entrance and saw Steve.

**M: You better hide that glass, he will freak out.**

**N: I came back, girls. Aaaannnd...**

Natasha showed three glasses with Sex on the beach, she handad one to each of them.

**Sarah: Thanks! I love you, Mom.**

Sarah took the drink.

**N: Let's dance!**

**M: Natasha, Steve is here!**

**N: Is he? Where??**

Maggie pointed at Steve as he was heading toward a ladder with two security guards at the front.

**\- You can’t go up here without the VIP bracelet, sir.**

**S: Uhm, I’m sorry... I'm looking for my wife... She's redheaded** **and wearing a black dress and she's with two kids.**

**\- There are no children at this party, sir.**

**S: Yeah... I mean teenagers.**

**N: Steve?**

Natasha nudged him. Steve turned and Natasha already hugged his neck and kissed his lips with passion.

**N: I knew you'd come.**

**S: I said I'd come. Where are the girls?**

**N: They are dancing there.**

Natasha pointed at the girls.

**N: Come on, let's dance with them.**

**S: Natasha, I don’t want to dance, you know I can’t dance.**

**N: C’moooon!**

Natasha handed her glass to Steve.

**N: Drink this.**

**S: You know it has no effect on me.**

**N: Just drink, Steve.**

Natasha pulled Steve by the hand and brought him to the dance floor.

Steve tried to hug Sarah as he approached her, but she pushed him away.

**Sarah: DAD! Oh my God! Please, we're at a party. Don’t do it.**

**S: I was just going to give you a hug.**

Sarah rolled her eyes.

**Sarah: Dad, you have to dance, you're embarrassing me. Don’t stand just there.**

**S: I don’t feel like it and I don’t know how to dance these things.**

**M: It's okay, Dad. Just do as we do.**

Maggie was grabbed from behind by a model and she turned to see who it was and began to dance with the boy.

Steve frowned and went between them.

**S: Hey!**

**Sarah: Oh my God, Mom, look at Dad. Why is he here?**

**N: Steve!!! Come here.**

Natasha grabbed Steve's blouse and pulled him to her, she left her hands on the back of his neck and began to dance sensuously, staring at Steve, only because she was drunk, she was being too sexy in public.

**S: Nat...**

**Sarah: Mom, for God's sake! You both are killing me!**

**S: I'm going to take your mother to sit down a bit.**

**N: Will you take me to sit down? On you, you mean?**

**Sarah: Oh Jesus! I need therapy!**

**M: That was really disgusting.**

**Sarah: We don’t want to hear this! Go away!**

Steve hugged Natasha's waist and pulled her out of the dance floor.

**N: I need one more drink.**

**S: You drank enough.**

**N: Rogers! I will drink now and you will be very happy if you let me drink.**

Natasha said, already leaning on the bar and raising the finger in the air, calling the bartender.

**\- The same?**

**N: Yes, Anthony.**

**S: Natasha...**

**N: Shhhh...**

Natasha covered Steve's mouth, she took the drink, then hold Steve’s hand and went to the Dark Room area.

Dark Room is a more reserved and dark place inside a nightclub, it can be collective or have boxes for only two people to stay. Of this nightclub, the boxes were only for couples.

Natasha pushed Steve into the box, she closed the curtain and made Steve sit on the couch.

**N: You're so hot and so....**

Natasha yawned.

**N: So... I'm going to make you... very happy now. I...**

Natasha frowned and sat down next to Steve.

**N: I just need a few minutes.**

Natasha laid her head on the couch and fell asleep.

**S: Nat? Natasha??**

...

**\- Maggie? I found you.**

**M: Vinny!**

Maggie hugged Vinny.

**V: Do you want to touch up your make?**

**M: Of course. Sarah, do you want to come?**

**Sarah: I don’t know, I think so. Do I need?**

Maggie and Vinny started laughing at Sarah.

**Sarah: What's so funny?**

**M: Come on.**

Sarah followed Maggie and Vinny into a dark corridor full of mirrors. There were two other boys there who greeted Vinny and looked like they were in another world.

Sarah looked at herself in the mirror and as she straightened her hair, she heard Maggie talking to Vinny and the boys.

Sarah also watched as Vinny bent over the narrow glass countertop and smelled a dusty career, Sarah was shocked and saw the other guys do the same.

Sarah stood next to Maggie and looked at her.

**Sarah: Maggie, we should get back to the dance floor.**

**V: Relax, redhead. She came to touch up the makeup.**

Vinny handed Maggie a rolled note, she held it and approached the counter.

Sarah's jaw dropped as Maggie smelled the dusty that looked like a powder.

Vinny handed Sarah a note.

**V: Won’t you do the same?**

Maggie sniffled and looked at Sarah, who couldn’t even move.

**M: It's alright, Sarah. Try it.**

****

Vinny raised his eyebrows and continued to offer the rolled note to Sarah.

Sarah stared at the note, unsure of what to do.

**  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Vinny: Your sister is a loser, right?**

**Sarah: I'm not a loser!**

Sarah took the note from Vinny's hand, angrily.

Sarah kept holding the rolled note and twirled her fingers nervously.

**V: Will you do it or not?**

**Sarah: I...**

Sarah walked over to the counter and just looked at the dust, she frowned and sighed.

Maggie stood behind Sarah and took the note from her hand.

**M: It's okay if you don’t want to do it.**

**Sarah: I'm not a loser.**

Sarah looked at Maggie.

**Sarah: Daddy's here and...**

Maggie smiled and nodded.

**V: Are you really sisters?**

Maggie pushed Vinny's shoulder hard, making him laugh.

**M: Shut up, Vinny. She's my sister!**

Maggie hugged Sarah's neck.

**M: Let's go back to the party.**

When they returned to a more crowded place, Maggie noted the seriousness on Sarah's face.

**M: Are you okay?**

**Sarah: We'd better go look for Mom and Dad.**

Sarah stepped out of Maggie's arms and walked to the dance floor, but Maggie grabbed Sarah's arm.

**M: Sarah! Listen...**

Maggie smiled, looking at Sarah.

**M: You're not going to say anything about what I did there, are you? It's a secret...**

Sarah took some time to react, then she nodded and she could barely look into Maggie's eyes, shewas very disappointed.

The two started looking for Steve and Natasha and found the two in the dark room.

Steve was giving Natasha some water, after waking her up.

Steve looked at Maggie and Sarah.

**Sarah: Dad, I wanna go home.**

**S: Great, we really have to go.**

**M: I'll call Vinny.**

Steve nodded.

**S: Meet us in the car.**

Maggie looked at Sarah and hold her hand for a few seconds, to remind her about the promise of not saying anything to them, then Maggie turned away to call Vinny.

**S: Come on, Natasha.**

Steve helped Natasha get up and she was still very sleepy.

As Steve walked by Sarah, he looked at her and noticed that she looked sad.

**S: Are you okay?**

**Sarah: Yes.**

Sarah nodded and followed Steve out of the nightclub.

Steve put Natasha in the passenger seat and got into the driver's seat. Sarah was sitting in the backseat, waiting for Maggie and her friend Vinny.

**S: Did you have fun tonight?**

Sarah didn’t answer. In fact, she didn’t even hear Steve's question.

**S: Sarah?**

**Sarah: Huh?**

**S: Did you have fun? Was it what you expected? The party...**

Sarah was slow to reply.

**S: You seem a little upset. Did something happen in there?**

Sarah frowned a little and sighed.

**Sarah: Dad?**

Steve kept looking at Sarah in the rearview mirror, and when she was silent, he turned to look into her eyes.

**S: What?**

**Sarah: Actually, there is something, when...**

**\- We found you!!!**

Maggie announced when she arrived in the car, she opened the door and Sarah looked down.

Maggie came in and sat down next to Sarah, Vinny sat down next to Maggie.

**M: That was a good party!**

**S: Was it? I was just asking Sarah. So you guys had fun?**

Maggie looked at Sarah and she didn’t look at her face, she looked at the window.

Maggie lowered her gaze a little, but then smiled and nodded to Steve.

**M: Yes, these parties are a lot of fun.**

**N: I never want to go to any party ever again!**

Steve started driving home and during the whole trip, Sarah was silent, which is not very common and Sarah didn’t look at Maggie's face anymore.

As soon as they got home, Sarah got out of the car with her arms crossed and went straight to her bedroom.

**S: She's upset.**

**N: Must have gone to vomit.**

**S: Why would she vomit? She drank???**

**N: A little.**

**S: Natasha!**

**N: She's already turning 18 soon, I let her try it.**

**S: Let's talk about this tomorrow.**

Steve was practically carrying Natasha and on the stairs, he had to pick her up.

As Steve reached the top of the stairs, he stoppe and looked at Vinny and Maggie smilingand talking to each other.

**S: It's bedtime.**

**M: It’s Okay, we will just talk for a bit here in the living room.**

**S: It's too late, you can talk tomorrow.**

Maggie put her hand on Vinny's back.

**V: Let's obey your father.**

Maggie nodded and the two of them went up the stairs and Steve stood in the hallway, waiting for Vinny to enter James' room and Maggie enter her room.

In fact, Steve wanted to lock Vinny in the bedroom, just so he would sleep in peace.

...

Maggie entered the room and Sarah was sitting on the dressing table, removing her makeup with a moist towelette.

Maggie closed the door and sighed, then she sat on Sarah's bed and looked at her.

**M: Great party, huh?**

Maggie gave a small smile and Sarah didn’t answer, she continued cleaning her skin.

**M: You should see when the parties are on the beach. Sometimes it rains and we dance in the sand, completely wet and we make wreaths of flowers... It's very cool... You would love it.**

**Sarah: Yeah, and you and your friend must get high until you see bluebirds. That doesn’t sound fun to me.**

Maggie smiled awkwardly.

**M: Okay... I know it's a surprise for you, but...**

**Sarah: How many more surprises do I need to expect from you?**

**M: Sarah, why are you so upset??**

Maggie frowned.

**M: I didn’t force you to anything, they offered you, not me.**

**Sarah: I felt like an idiot.**

**M: So that's the problem? It’s about how you felt? You know I've felt like this all my life... like an idiot!**

**Sarah: But why??**

Sarah was confused.

**Sarah: It doesn’t make any sense. We had everything, good parentes, love and you had everything and you always were beautiful, you have nothing to complain about.**

**M: I have nothing to complain about??**

**Sarah: You know what I went through and I don’t do drugs because of that.**

**M: Yes, I know. But do you know what I went through?**

Sarah frowned even more.

**Sarah: Did you go through anything? Maggie, you're blonde, skinny, beautiful, model, smart. You have everything!!**

Maggie raised her eyebrows and sighed.

**M: Wow... I guess that sums me up.**

Maggie nodded and stood up.

**Sarah: You need to tell mom.**

Maggie gave a low laugh.

**M: Are you crazy?**

**Sarah: You have to tell! This is serious! We study about it.**

**M: I'm fine. Drugs is not how they paint in schools.**

**Sarah: You can’t be serious!**

Sarah turned in her chair to face Maggie, she frowned.

**Sarah: Who are you? Seriously, who are you? I don’t know you anymore.**

Maggie lifted her shoulders and hands into the air.

**M: I'm who you described...**

Maggie spoke in a more debauched tone.

**M: Blonde... thin... model...**

Maggie walked to her bed and continued to be sarcastic.

**M: A nerd... Ham, what else did you say I am??**

Maggie lay on the bed and opened her arms.

**M: Gorgeous... I'm beautiful.**

Maggie blinked her eyes several times to look cute but being sarcastic.

**M: I'm wonderful and perfect. My life is a fairytale...**

Maggie looked at Sarah and smiled.

Sarah was offended.

**Sarah: Why are you talking to me like that???**

Maggie rolled her eyes.

**Sarah: Was it something I did?**

Maggie lay on her side, her back to Sarah.

**M: I'm sorry.**

Maggie spoke quietly.

**M: Please don’t tell anyone.**

**Sarah: I won’t say, I want you to say it.**

**M: I can’t!**

Maggie turned to Sarah and sat down.

**M: That would end my career, you know that I love being a model and I love traveling.**

Sarah sighed.

**M: Please, Sarah. I've kept all your secrets for all these years. You are my sister and we are best friends. Forever, right?**

Maggie put her hand on the dresser. Sarah looked at Maggie's hand and felt bad, she loves her sister and don’t want to sneak her out.

Sarah sighed and put her hand over Maggie's.

**Sarah: Forever.**

Maggie smiled.

**M: I need to sleep.**

Maggie lay back on the bed and closed her eyes.

**M: Good night.**

Sarah watched Maggie.

**Sarah: Good night.**

Sarah whispered after a few minutes, she picked up the pajamas she had left hanging on the headboard of the bed, changed and lay down to sleep, but she stayed awake for a long time, thinking about what happened at that party.

...

Early in the morning, Maggie felt a trickle of water fall on her forehead, and she frowned, but she was still too sleepy to wake up.

Maggie felt the drop of water fall on her forehead again and she shook her head and rubbed her forehead, but didn’t wake up fully, she couldn’t even ration that it wasn’t normal to be dripping water inside her room.

Another drop of water fell and Maggie moaned in protest and she heard the sound of a muffled laugh and she recognized the laughter and was desperate at the same time.

As soon as Maggie opened her eyes and prepared to get up, she screamed.

**M: JAMEEEESS!**

**J: Good morning, corn on the cob!**

James announced with a bucket in his hand. He threw the a bucket of water in Maggie. Maggie screamed and sat up right away.

**M: I'm going to kill you!**

Sarah heard the screams and frowned, she tried to open her eyes, but she was very sleepy too, she was about to sit and James was just waiting for that and when she sat down, James popped two eggs straight into her hair.

**Sarah: WHAT? JAMES! MOOOOM!**

**J: Good morning, canister.**

James ran out of the room and he froze in the hallway to see Natasha standing in the doorway of her bedroom, looking serious at him.

Steve appeared right behind Natasha.

**S: Really, James? Do you have to play tricks on your sisters every time you get home?**

**Sarah: DAAAD! Look what he did!**

Steve looked at Sarah with her head full of eggs and for Maggie completely wet.

**M: He is so stupid!**

**Sarah: You're an idiot, James! I hate you.**

**M: I'm dying of cold!**

**S: James, you're going to be a dad soon. When will you mature?**

**Lina: I keep asking him that.**

Lina Maximoff said from the stairs, with her hand on her belly.

**S: Girls, go take a shower. Maggie you can use our bathroom. I'm going to check the twins and make breakfast.**

Sarah stepped into the hall bathroom and slammed the door, Maggie grabbed a towel and went into Steve and Natasha's room to use their bathroom.

Steve knocked on the door of the twins' bedroom.

**S: Lotte and Nick, it's time. Let's go.**

**Lina: You want some help with the breakfast, Steve?**

**S: I would love to, Lina.**

Steve walked over to Lina and kissed her forehead.

**S: How is the baby?**

**L: He's great... or she’s great.**

**S: You still don’t know?**

**L: We decided to find out on the delivery day...**

Lina and Steve came downstairs talking.

James was still standing in the same spot in the hallway looking at Natasha who was still staring at him seriously.

As soon as the two of them were alone, the two of them smiled and began to laugh.

**N: I missed you, babe.**

**J: Me too, Mom.**

James hugged Natasha and he's as tall as Steve now.

**J: There's a guy in my room.**

James frowned.

**N: It's Maggie's friend.**

**J: Boyfriend?**

**N: Friend, James. Why is it difficult for everyone to accept friendship between a man and a woman?**

Natasha frowned.

**_Sarah: MOM!!!_ **

Sarah screamed from the bathroom.

**N: What, Sarah???**

_Sarah: I need help! My hair is going to smell like eggs for an eternity and it's all James's fault! I hate him, Mom!_

Sarah shouted in a crying voice.

Natasha looked at James and he smiled and shrugged.

**N: You're no good, James.**

Natasha slapped his arm and James tried to protect himself and began to laugh.

**N: I'm coming, Sarah.**

Natasha came in to help Sarah wash her hair.

...

James knocked on the door of Nick and Charlotte's bedroom, then opened the door.

**J: Whassup, your mussel eaters!!!**

**Lotte: James!**

Charlotte ran and jumped on James' lap, Nick did the same.

**_S: Come have breakfast, Nick and Charlotte!_ **

Steve shouted from the first floor.

**J: We're going!**

**Lotte: Rocket, James! Rocket!**

**J: Rocket? All right!**

James lifted Charlotte by her belly and did the same with Nicholas, raising the two on the air and then James went down the stairs with them, that way.

Steve looked at James.

**S: James, this is very dangerous. Especially on the stairs.**

**Lina: Can you settle down for a minute, James Rogers?**

**J: It's not dangerous, they like it.**

James put the twins on the floor who laughed a lot and ran to sit at the table.

**J: And I'm strong.**

James winked at Lina and approached her to give her a quick kiss on the lips.

James sat down next to Lina and drank some juice.

**S: Lotte, make your cereal and your brother's.**

Charlotte nodded.

**Ch: So, Nick, do you want this one or that one?**

Nick pointed out which box he wanted.

**Ch: Okay...**

**S: Natasha! We’re waiting only for you three... four.**

Steve sat at the table.

**M: Me and Vinny are here!**

Maggie came down the stairs, along with Vinny, then they sat down at the table.

...

**N: Ready, Sarah.**

**Sarah: It stinks!**

**N: It's not, it's a schism in your head. I'm going down, do not delay.**

**Sarah: Okay, I'm just getting dressed.**

Natasha left the room and went down to breakfast.

Sarah returned in the room, wrapped in the towel and her head wrapped in another towel.

Sarah opened the closet and took a piece from the coat hanger and frowned at the torn clothing.

 _This outfit is new. How did this happen?_ Sarah thought and frowned, she didn’t mind and picked up another piece of clothing and it was also torn.

They weren’t actually ripped, they were just cut in half.

**Sarah: But what???**

Sarah started pulling all the clothes out of the closet and throwing to the floor. All her clothes were like that.

...

The doorbell rang and James got up.

**N: Who is it?**

**J: It must be the guys.**

**S: What guys?**

**J: The Avengers!**

James opened the door and there were Francis Barton, Pym, and Azari.

**J: What's up, guys? Come in, come in!**

**S: James, you didn’t warn me you were going to call your friends.**

**F: Good morning, my family! Oh, hello there, Maggie!**

Francis smiled and winked at her.

**F: You've grown.**

James hit the back of Francis's neck.

**J: It’s my sister, man, are you crazy?**

Maggie made a face of disgust and returned to her talk with Vinny.

**Azari: Sorry, Steve. We came to get James.**

**N: Get James? We have lunch today.**

**Lina: It's just a meeting at SHIELD with Maria.**

**J: I'll be back in time. Hey, Dad, can you make some more bacon for them?**

**S: Sure, James. Sit down, boys.**

**_SARAH: CHARLOTTEEEE!!!!_ **

Sarah screamed upstairs and looked furious. Charlotte's eyes widened and she raised her eyebrows.

It was not long before Sarah came down the stairs, still wrapped  in the towel and holding the ripped clothes in her hand.

Sarah: It was you! You two! I know you helped, Nick! You two little monsters!

**N: Sarah!**

**Sarah: Mom! Look what these little mutants did! She cut all my clothes off. ALL! I have nothing to wear! NOTHING! I'm going naked for school??**

**Pym: I will not complain about that.**

Pym commented with Azari, laughing.

Sarah only realized that there were visitors at home now, she looked at Francis, Pym, and Azari and gaped, especially when she saw Azari.

**A: Hi, Sarah. How long. Nice to see you.**

Azari smiled and Sarah's heart felt like it was going to come out of her mouth, she couldn’t say anything else, she turned completely red, then closed her eyes tight and ran up the stairs.

**N: My God.**

Natasha got up and looked at Nick and Charlotte.

**N: You're grounded.**

**Lotte: But Mom!**

**N: It’s decided. Go upstairs now to get ready for school.**

**Lotte: I didn’t even finish eating.**

**N: I don’t care. Go on.**

Natasha pointed to the stairs and Nick and Charlotte got up and went up the stairs.

Natasha went after them.

**N: And you're going to fix everything you did. You think that just because you have a gift, you can do whatever you want. You're mistaken... Not in my house.**

...

Natasha knocked on Sarah's bedroom door and waited for her to respond, but Sarah didn’t.

**N: Sarah? Is everything okay?**

**Sarah: I hate all my Brothers! All of them! I wanted to be an only child.**

**N: That's not true, you love Maggie.**

Sarah was silent.

**N: Can I come in?**

**Sarah: Yes.**

Natasha opened the door and looked at Sarah who was lying face down on the bed.

**N: You can wear one of my clothes.**

**Sarah: Oh my God, clothes of old people?**

Natasha frowned.

**N: I don’t wear old people clothes.**

**Sarah: The only clothes you have that are nice, are your short dresses. Can I use one of them for school?**

**N: No.**

**Sarah: See?**

Sarah grunted.

**Sarah: Mom, I'm never leaving my room ever again!**

**N: Just because the boys saw you wrapped in a towel? It could have been worse.**

**Sarah: What's worse than that?**

**N: If your towel had fallen in front of all of them...**

Natasha joked.

**Sarah: Oh mom, Azari was there!**

**N: Sarah, he's married.**

**Sarah: I know!**

**N: And you have a boyfriend.**

**Sarah: I know!!! I don’t want Azari.**

**N: No?**

**Sarah: No, I love my boyfriend, but Azari... He's just so nice to me. All James's friends are such idiots, but he's so kind and polite, he's a prince. Literally a prince!!!**

**N: Yes, it hurts not to have somebody we want, but you will get over it.**

**Sarah: I'm over it.**

**N: Great, let me put the twins to school...**

Natasha walked to the door.

Sarah looked at Natasha and sat up in a hurry.

**Sarah: Mom!**

Natasha stopped and looked at Sarah.

**N: What?**

**Sarah: There's something I need to talk to you about.**

Natasha stood still, waiting for Sarah to say what it was.

**Sarah: It’s about that party we went...**

**N: What’s up?**

**Sarah: It's just...**

Sarah sighed, not daring to say what she wanted.

Natasha went back to the bed and sat down next to her.

**N: What happened? You can tell me anything, you know that...**

Sarah looked into her mother’s eyes.

**Sarah: Mom, it's like... when we were at the party and you left for a second, Maggie and I... we...**

**\- Hellooo!**

Natasha and Sarah looked at Maggie who had just opened the bedroom door.

Sarah looked down, feeling uncomfortable.

**M: Sarah, are you Okay? I came to see how you are... Azari is still down there.**

**N: She's feeling a little better now, you know how dramatic she is.**

Maggie smiled.

**M: You can wear one of my clothes.**

**N: See? Problem solved.**

Natasha got up and left the room.

Maggie looked at Sarah.

**M: Vinny is going out with some friends and...**

**Sarah: I don’t want to go out with you and your hipsters friends, thank you.**

**M: I was not going to say that, I was going to propose that we make a cake for dessert. Both of us, the way we used to. What do you think?**

Sarah looked at Maggie.

**Sarah: I have class now.**

**M: Tomorrow then?**

**Sarah: Maybe...**

Maggie smiled and left the room.

Sarah ended up wearing one of Maggie's clothes to go to class and she just left the room when she was sure Azari was gone, along with the others.

Natasha had the twins restore Sarah's clothes before they went to school.

The neighboor took Charlotte and Nick to school today.

Steve and Natasha were picking up things from the table when Maggie came down with Vinny.

**N: Are you going out? We have family lunch today and it's for you, Maggie.**

**M: We’re going out, but I'll be back in time for lunch.**

**S: Where are you going?**

**M: Dad...**

**S: What? I can’t know?**

**M: Yes, you can, but we'll go in a lot of places, he wants to get to know the city.**

**S: Oh yeah, keep your phone on.**

Maggie nodded, she walked to Steve and kissed his face before leaving.

After everyone had gone, the whole house was silent.

Steve and Natasha were cleaning the living room in silence.

**N: It's so weird.**

**S: What?**

**N: I'm missing the noise. All our children were here now, reunited, and I hadn’t noticed that I missed that.**

**S: I miss this every day.**

**N: I know, you always talk about that.**

Natasha smiled.

**N: Steve?**

Steve looked at Natasha.

**N: I'm a bit worried about the twins. Charlotte is very vindictive, when she doesn’t like something, she revolts and take actions about it. Before I thought it was a good thing, nobody was going to make her a fool, but...**

**S: But she might be crossing the line.**

**N: Yes! I think she's already crossed that line. What if she does something at school, too?**

**S: We've talked about this with them, they're not going to do anything.**

**N: There's no way of knowing that.**

**S: We have already taken the measure of leaving them in separate classrooms. If they are not together, they can’t do anything.**

**N: Steve, I'll tell you something, but don’t be upset, let me talk to the end.**

Steve approached Natasha and stared at her.

**N: When Professor Charles Xavier contacted us and he revealed what the twins are...**

**S: Mutants... You can say the word.**

**N: Yeah...**

**S: They’re not going to that Institute...**

**N: Wait, Steve. Let me talk!**

Natasha sighed and continued.

**N: When he told that they are... mutants...**

Natasha always have a problem to say the word.

**N: I... I don’t know, I panicked. I panicked because I didn’t want to send my kids away, I didn’t want them to feel like a... a freak, or that they think they were being punished for being sent away to this Institute. But...**

Natasha sighed.

**N: The point is that we forbid them from doing anything related to the gift they have, they’re like not practicing at all, they’re not evolving and I don’t even know if they should be evolving is somehow. I don’t know, do you understand? I am their mother and I don’t know what is best for them.**

Steve sighed and looked away.

**N: Every day I think what would happen if someone from school discovered what they really are and I know that I should just think "So what if someone knows about it?", but I can’t, because people don’t understand. And people get scared of something they don’t understand. You know how many people treat mutants like freaks and I’m horrofied to think someone treating our kids like that, that's all I don’t want for them.**

Steve nodded and sighed, he took a few seconds to answer.

**S: We can’t send them away. They love living with us, they are just kids and they need us, they need their family.**

**N: I don’t want this either, but I need help, Steve, because I don’t know what to do.**

Natasha shook her head and Steve hugged her.

Natasha hugged Steve's waist and felt his hand caress her hair.

**S: What do you need? Tell me and I will provide.**

**N: Steve, we need to get help.**

**S: Wanda?**

**N: She doesn’t live with mutants, never did.**

**S: Neither Lina... But, we have the professor's number. We could pay a visit to the Institute, or invite him to come here.**

**N: Yes, that would help.**

**S: So I'll handle this...**

Steve ran his hand down Natasha's back and forth slowly to reassure her.

**S: Do you feel better now?**

Natasha lifted her face to look at Steve and nodded.

Steve smiled a little and placed his lips to Natasha's, and kissed her.

...

A few hours later, at SHIELD headquarters, the New Avengers were meeting with Maria Hill, discussing operational issues.

**H: We have only have two years of the project and you are already close to breaking the budget that your parents made for five years! It's unacceptable! And the worst thing is that you spend a lot on Food!**

**Francis: That’s on Pym.**

The door to the meeting room was opened and Hill's secretary came in and whispered something in her ear.

**H: What is she doing here?**

Hill frowned and rolled her eyes.

**H: Okay, thank you.**

Hill thanked the secretary who retired.

**H: Rogers!**

James looked at Maria.

**H: Your sister is out there wanting to talk to you.**

**J: With me? Which one?**

**H: I don’t know. She said it's urgent.**

**J: God!**

James snorted and got up, he left the room and saw Sarah in the hallway.

**J: Sarah? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at school?**

**Sarah: I should, but I need to talk to you.**

**J: Can’t wait until lunchtime?**

**Sarah: Not really.**

James was going to deny the conversation now, but Sarah seemed to be very worried.

James sighed.

**J: Okay, come with me.**

James led Sarah to another room that was empty.

**J: You know my mother doesn’t want you here at SHIELD.**

**Sarah: Yeah, I know, I didn’t even want to be here.**

**J: What is it?**

**Sarah: James, there's something going on with a friend.**

**J: What is happening to your friend?**

Sarah took a deep breath.

**Sarah: Okay, so... this friend, she has a sister who is her best friend in the world and she is using drugs and this friend does not know what to do about that, but she wants to help, but she doesn’t want to betray her sister. What do you think she should do?**

James listened to Sarah and frowned a little, he would believe in the story that it’s about her friend going through it, if Sarah told him at some other time, but she skipped class to be there... So it's obvious that It's about herself and Maggie.

James sighed and rubbed his forehead.

**J: Look Sarah, this is very complicated. What do you know about drugs?**

**Sarah: Well, they are bad, they’re forbidden and some cause damage to the brain, leave the person addicted... Look I know how bad drugs are, okay? I go to school everyday.**

**J: Okay, so you know all of that and you still have doubts about what you should do?**

**Sarah: Yes, because I... I mean, my friend promised not to say anything to anyone. How to break a promise?**

**J: Sarah, what do you think is more important? To care for one's health and life or to preserve one's friendship?**

Sarah made a pained expression and James put his hand on her shoulder.

**J: I know it's hard, but since you’re, I mean they’re friends, she'll understand that what her friend did, it’s for her sake. Maybe not now, but someday she'll see this and may even thank her. Can I count on you to do the right thing?**

Sarah looked at James and nodded.

**Sarah: You know I'm talking about me, right?**

James smiled and nodded.

**J: Do the right thing. You’re a great friend. I'll see you at home later.**

Sarah nodded.

**Sarah: Thank you, James.**

Sarah went to the door and looked at James again.

**Sarah: I still hate you, you know?**

**J: I hate you more, Chunky.**

**Sarah: Idiot.**

Sarah and James laughed at each other, James returned to the meeting and Sarah went home.

...

When Sarah got home, she opened the door and left the backpack on the floor.

Natasha and Steve were in the kitchen and the two frowned at the sound of the door being opened, because it wasn’t supposed for anyone to get home now.

**N: Who is it???**

Natasha shouted from the kitchen.

**_Sarah: It's me, Mom._ **

**S: Sarah? You should be at school.**

**_Sarah: Yeah, I know, but I have to talk to you guys. Something importante._ **

Sarah closed the door and started walking toward the kitchen.

**N: Sarah? Honey, don’t come into the kitchen now.**

Sarah frowned.

**_Sarah: Why not???_ **

**N: Because we... we... Well, you won’t want to see what's going on here.**

**_Sarah: OH MY GOD!!!!_ **

Sarah frowned.

**_Sarah: What's wrong with you?_ **

**N: Well, it wasn’t supposed to have anyone in the house right now.**

**Sarah: You guys should be cooking! Have you forgot the family lunch today???**

**N: We're cooking.**

**_Sarah: Are you cooking or are you..._ **

**N: We were kind of doing both, one thing led to another and...**

**S: Natasha!**

**_Sarah: OH MY GOD, MOM! Stop talking! I’m very traumatized already!_ **

**N: She asked!**

**_Sarah: Aaaa! Disgusting!!! I'm going to eat at the neighbor's house._ **

**N: Sarah?**

**Sarah: What?**

**N: What you have to say, could it be later?**

_Sarah: No! It has to be now! I'll stay outside for you guys to get dressed, call me when you're decent and acting like a couple of your age!_

Sarah left and sat on the porch steps, she sighed and stared at the neighbors' gardens.

After nearly twenty minutes, Steve opened the door and Sarah looked over his shoulder at him.

**S: Sorry, princess. We're here now.**

Sarah got up and entered the house, she saw Natasha sitting on the couch and she sat on the other couch facing her.

Steve closed the door and then sat down next to Natasha.

**S: So, what do you want to tell us?**

Sarah opened her mouth to say, but they heard the sound of a horn and Steve looked who was out the window, he saw Maggie get out of a car and wave to that same car to say goodbye.

**S: It's Maggie coming.**

Sarah froze, her heart was pounding and she looked down.

Every time. Every time she decides to tell, Maggie appears.

**N: Sarah? Did you want to talk to us alone?**

Sarah looked at Natasha and she was about to answer, but Maggie opened the door to the house.

Maggie was smiling. Smiling too much.

Maggie noticed Steve and Natasha in the living room, and Sarah with her head down.

Maggie’s smile faded a little.

**M: What's happening? I thought Sarah was at school.**

**S: Yeah, but she wanted to talk to us.**

**M: About what?**

Natasha kept looking at Sarah the whole time.

**S: Sarah?**

Sarah got pale by Maggie having arrived, she looked at her briefly and Maggie was making negative with her head discreetly, but Natasha noticed this weird mood between them.

Sarah took a deep breath.

**Sarah: Dad...**

**S: What's happening?**

**M: Sarah...**

****

**Sarah: At the party...**

Maggie closed her eyes.

**M: Sarah??**

Sarah ignored and continued to talk to Steve.

**Sarah: ...While you were with Mom down there, Maggie and that friend of hers, Vinny...**

Maggie opened her eyes again and looked at Sarah.

**Sarah: They... they were...**

**N: What??? They were doing what?**

Natasha raised her eyebrow.

**S: Kissing?**

Sarah shook her head.

**Sarah: No! They were using drugs! I saw it. Vinny offered and she accepted and used, right in front of me....**

Sarah counted, still with her head down, she didn’t have the courage to look at Maggie.

**Sarah: I’m sorry.**


	3. Chapter 3

Sarah's eyes filled with tears, after releasing the bombastic revelation, she looked at Maggie.

Sarah shook her head and was crying for feeling guilty of betraying her sister.

**Sarah: Sorry, I had to tell them.**

Natasha and Steve stood there looking at Sarah, trying to find some logic in what she had just said, it was impossible for them to conceive the idea that any of their children would get involved with this sort of thing, and even if it were possible, Maggie would be the last chance for it.

Natasha even prepared to laugh, thinking about this being a prank of them in Steve, but Sarah was really crying and Maggie was really scared.

Maggie didn’t sustain this scared position for long, because she knew there is no other way, she would have to face the consequences now and face her parentes sermon, and she is not in the mood for sermon, she has full knowledge of her actions and as she was no longer living with them, she doesn’t think she has to explain anything to Steve and Natasha.

Steve looked down and was silent, he was still reflecting and Natasha didn’t want to be the first to speak, after all Steve was Maggie's father and she just the stepmother.

Steve frowned, then looked at Maggie.

**S: Is that true?**

Maggie looked away and crossed her arms.

**S: Maggie?**

Steve called her, because Maggie didn’t want to respond.

Natasha looked at Sarah.

**N: Did you use it, Sarah?**

Sarah shook her head.

**Sarah: No, of course not.**

**S: Did they offer you too?**

Sarah nodded and Steve sighed again, even more frustrated.

Steve stood up slowly, staring at Maggie.

**Sarah: Dad?**

Sarah got up too and how she was the one who gave away Maggie to her father, she feels responsible for anything that comes out of this revelation and she is desperate for whatever punishment Maggie may receive, so she will do anything to avoid fights.

**Sarah: We'll take care of this easily, won’t we? She's going to change, she's not going to use it anymore, right, Maggie?**

Sarah looked quickly at Maggie and then at Steve.

**Sarah: It was only that night, tell them, Maggie...**

Sarah looked at Maggie, hoping that Maggie would just confirm and say she will never do that again and that everything will be all right between them, as it always was.

Maggie narrowed her eyes.

**M: Of course it wasn’t the first time. You’re so stupid!**

Maggie spoke very contemptuously and then looked at Steve, not fearing any reprisal, it was as if she had acquired a second personality.

**M: And she's the one you chose as your favorite...**

**S: I don’t have a favorite daughter.**

Maggie started to laugh.

**M: That's why I can’t stand being here. House of lies.**

**S: Can’t stand being here???**

**M: Oh, Please! Stop! You can stop this threate. You don’t care about me, you never did, you don’t have to pretend to me anymore, I'm already big, Dad. I'm going to be 18 years old.**

**S: No matter what you think, I can’t believe you used drugs and that you brought a drug dealer into that house.**

**M: He's not a drug dealer! My God!**

Maggie laughed nervously.

**S: He's offering drugs to you. He offered drug to your sister, Maggie! For your sister! You let this kind of thing reach your family. How did this happen? You're a smart girl. I don’t understand.**

**M: No one forced Sarah, he offered because he's polite.**

**S: What???**

Steve sighed and tried to be calm.

**S: Okay...**

Steve took a deep breath and nodded a few times, trying to come to terms with himself on how to handle it.

Steve decided to follow the line of understanding and tried to speak calmly, to understand why this is happening and then see how best way to deal with this problem.

**S: Is something going on with you? Why would you do such a thing? I don’t understand.**

Maggie didn’t answer.

**S: And just to be clear, this guy Vinny doesn’t come in here anymore and you won’t see or have any kind of contact with him any more. Never again.**

Maggie giggled.

**M: Who do you think you are??**

**S: I am your father!**

**M: Really? For how long?**

Steve frowned and opened his mouth to argue, but he was speechless, he just nodded and took a deep breath.

**M: I think you're more like Sarah's father and James’ and the twins’s father than mine. After all, you were always the father of all of them, but not mine.**

Maggie smirked.

**M: I'm the bastard of the house.**

**Sarah: Nobody ever treated you like that, Mag.**

**N: Sarah, no.**

Natasha said quietly for Sarah for her not to get into the discussion.

Maggie looked at Sarah.

**M: Are you blind or really dumb? At least I know how fake you are now. I thought I could count on you, but not even keep your mouth shut you could do for me!**

**S: Maggie, you're not going to argue now, we're going to solve this drug issue.**

**M: I won’t solve anything!**

**N: Maggie, we just want to help you.**

**M: Help me with what, Natasha???**

**N: This thing that is happening to you, whatever it is, I understand...**

Maggie let out a mocking laugh.

**M: What?? Will you advise me now? Will you help me? You? Really? Did you know that I can’t get into a pool or a bathtub because a woman who wanted to take revenge on you left me in a pool to die of drowning? I almost died!**

Maggie seemed to have sorrows from everyone now, no one could say anything else. In fact, no one has ever commented on that incident. Maggie followed her life normally and everyone did the same, but since she never talked about this fear of water, no one was aware of the phobia she developed from pools and bathtubs.

Natasha took a deep breath and decided to make a statement about it, they all made a mistake in not asking more about it.

**N: Maggie, that was a tragedy, but...**

**M: Tragedy? No... That was not a tragedy. Do you know what a tragedy is? A cancer. Cancer itself is a tragedy. Look, Natasha... You know that sometimes I read about cancer and stress and how they relate and I wonder if my mother had not suffered so much because of you and my dad, maybe she would still be alive.**

Natasha frowned, shocked at this statement from Maggie.

**M: It should be you in that coffin and not her.**

Sarah's eyes widened.

**S: MARGARET!**

**M: WHAT?!**

**S: ENOUGH!**

**M: Are you going to defend her??? Your lover! Everyone knows she's a fucking slut!**

Steve clenched his fist and took a step toward Maggie, but Natasha grabbed Steve's wrist.

**M: What about you, dad?**

Maggie looked at Steve.

**M: You're the worst. You're a traitor! You’re a chater! You cheat on my mom, you killed her too! YOU'RE A KILLER! A KILLER!!!**

Steve heard Maggie's words and just because of the impulse, he slapped Maggie's face, because she was out of control, she looked posessed.

Maggie put her hand on her face, covering the area where she received the slap and her eyes got filled with tears, she began to tremble, incredulous that Steve beat her.

This has never happened before, because she never gave motives and Steve never hit any of the children.

Natasha put her arm in front of Steve's belly to contain him.

**N: Steve!**

**Sarah: DAD!**

Sarah was scared and schocked too, she never saw him so angry before.

**S: Maggie, I will not tolerate this lack of respect inside my house, with my wife, she always treated you well. Apologize! Right now!**

Maggie was still shaking and crying, she looked at Steve with hatred and could barely breathe from crying.

**M: Never! I am tired... I am tired of all of you, I'm going to get my things and I'm going to get out of here! You'll never gonna see me again!!!**

Maggie cried out as she sobbed.

**S: You're not going anywhere.**

****

Maggie took her hand from her face and lifted her face.

Steve's hand was marked on her face.

Maggie looked into Steve's eyes.

**M: You can’t make me stay.**

**S: I can and I will!**

Maggie frowned.

**M: My grandma has my custody, not you.**

**S: No, she's only allowed to be with you, your guard has always been mine. That's what your mother wanted, I never gave up to have your custody and I never will. You are my daughter, whether you like it or not.**

**M: I'm not a child anymore, what are you going to do? Are you going to lock me in the bedroom?**

**S: You bet I will. This modeling career is over for you.**

**M: WHAT???**

**S: That's what you heard. These events, these trips, it’s all ended. It's over for you.**

**M: You can’t do that!**

**S: You can hate me if you want, but my daughter will not be loose like this in the world. Go to your room now.**

Maggie stayed in the same place.

**S: Do you need help getting there?**

**M: I'm not staying here! I'm leaving!**

Maggie walked to the door and Steve rushed over to her and hold her arm tightly. Maggie started screaming at the same time and tried to break free from.

**N: Steve!!**

Steve practically got into a fight with her, but only to immobilize her.

**Sarah: DAD! What are you doing??? You’re going to hurt her! DAD! MOM! DO SOMETHING!**

Maggie jumped and pushed back, trying to break free.

**Sarah: DAD!**

Steve didn’t mind Maggie and Sarah's protests, he carried Maggie upstairs and threw her into her room. Maggie fell to the floor, her hair on her face, she got up and spat on Steve.

**M: You can’t make me stay!!!**

**S: Let's see if I can or not.**

**M: I hate you! I wish I'd never met you!!!**

Steve took the room key before leaving and after he closed the door, he really locked Maggie in the room, and he could still hear her screams outside.

**M: I hate you! I HATE YOU!!!**

Maggie wasn’t pure right now, she had used heavy drugs before coming home and with that, she had a great this crisis of anger, she started pounding the door, breaking things inside the room and screaming like crazy.

Steve had never been so stressed before, he acted in the heat of the moment and as soon as he closed the door, the remorse struck him all over, because of the slap he gave Maggie.

Steve couldn’t even move from the door, his will was to back in that room and apologize to Maggie, but he knows he can’t do that. Not now, but at some point, he'll apologize for the slap, but one thing Steve does not regret was to announce the end of her career as a model, he never wanted that to happen, but he also didn’t expect as a result such a thing.

Natasha went upstairs and looked right at Steve with his forehead leaning against the door.

**N: Steve?**

Natasha spoke softly.

**S: Not now.**

Natasha nodded and went downstairs.

Natasha wasn’t offended at Maggie's words to her, she was feeling bad for Steve, because she knows that that slap hurt more in him than in her and when something very serious happens to Steve, nor she can calm him down immediately, he needs some time alone and that's what Natasha gave him.

As soon as Natasha went downstairs, she sent a message to James's cell phone and canceled the lunch with Wanda and Vision and didn’t announce the reason, he asked him to come home, but James already knew what it was because of the conversation he had with Sarah.

...

**Lina: Why are you with that face?**

**J: My mom canceled lunch, things are heavy in there now and I think it’s going to stay like that for a long time now.**

**L: So it was true what Sarah said about Maggie? Oh, I can’t imagine that at all. Maggie looked like a statue of so quiet she was, it was even hard to notice that she was present in the house when I went there.**

**J: Yes, that's true, but isn’t that strange, either? We should notice her there, just as we noticed Sarah.**

**L: Sarah has a very strong personality and she is scandalous and dramatic. But it's a matter of personality, Maggie is not like that.**

**J: No, Maggie is always hiding herself behind Sarah. I know that my father will freak out and forbid her to be an international model, but if it wasn’t for this career, Maggie would still be just a shadow of Sarah.**

**L: But she would not be messing with drugs.**

**J: Wouldn’t she? I just know that I want her to be okay.**

**L: Of course you do.**

Lina stroked James's back.

**L: But James I really have to have lunch with my parents today.**

James looked at Lina and was quiet.

**L: But I totally understand that you're staying with your family. They need you now.**

James nodded.

**Pym: Hey, Rogers! We are hungry, when are we going to have lunch?**

Lina looked at Pym, who approached them with Azari.

**L: Lunch was canceled.**

**Pym: Oh shit! Really?**

**L: And you weren’t invited anyway, it was a family lunch.**

**A: We are family!**

**Pym: Is everything okay with James?**

**L: He's fine, he's just tired, like all of us.**

**A: Pym, let's go to my house, there's lunch there.**

**Pym: Okay, then.**

**L: Azari, can you give me a ride?**

**J: I'll take you home, Lina.**

**L: No, it's way to Azari, I want to ride a limo today.**

Lina smiled and gave James a quick kiss on the lips.

**L: I'll see you later.**

James nodded and watched Lina leave with Azari and Pym. Not long after, James also left SHIELD to go home.

...

**\- Torunn?**

Torunn was already at SHIELD's desk when she was called, she rolled her eyes and stopped walking because she knew who was calling her.

**\- Torunn?**

**T: If I stopped it's because I heard you call me, Francis.**

Torunn replied, turning to look at Francis.

Francis put his pack on his back.

**F: Have you spoke to her today?**

**T: No, I've been with you almost all day, forgot?**

**F: Oh yes, but you're going to talk to her today, right? I mean, we're done with a mission, and you usually go to Asgard at the end of the missions. Are you going to Asgard?**

Torunn sighed impatiently.

**T: I don’t know if this is you pretending you care or if you pretend when you're flirting with a lot of woman like you always did. What is the truth, Francis?**

**F: You know I don’t really date anyone, I just flirt to distract myself or make some girl smile. I always think of her.**

**T: You can’t live there, nor can she here. Maybe it's best if you move on with someone else.**

**F: She can live here now, she is older now. She can come back to Earth and study and work here, we could live together.**

**T: Are you going to marry her?**

**F: N-no, I didn’t say that.**

**T: It looks like what you said.**

**F: Are you going to Asgard?**

**T: Not this time, I'm busy with some stuff.**

**F: You mean Howie.**

**T: No, that idiot!**

**F: See, it's Howie. What did he do this time?**

**T: It’s about what he didn’t do.**

**F: What didn’t he do?**

**T: He forgot our one-year anniversary. He didn’t actually forget, but his father told him to pretend he forgot to teach him to be the alpha male of the relationship. He only confessed the truth when he saw that I was hurt.**

**F: You fight more than you date.**

**T: Unfortunately that's true. Natasha told me that's what you get when you date a Stark... Anyway, I'm leaving.**

**F: Okay.**

Torunn sighed and looked at Francis.

**T: I don’t promise, but I'll try to talk to Lezi.**

Francis smiled.

**F: Thanks, T.**

Torunn smiled and nodded, then she waved to say goodbye to Francis and left the premises of SHIELD.

Torunn got into his new car and drove home.

...

A few hours later, Azari arrived at his hotel, after leaving Lina and Pym at home.

Azari has lived on the roof of a luxury hotel because his father sold the mansion they lived in a few years ago when he returned to Africa and Azari doesn’t know where his home is yet, so he has not yet bought a residence in the city.

Azari took the elevator and he has already landed inside the apartment itself, the elevator is exclusive to luxury rooms.

**A: Dawa, I'm home.**

**Dawa: I already said, Azari of Wakanda, son of T'Challa, grandson of T'Chaka... This is not our home.**

**A: I just wanted to say that I arrived.**

**D: I know.**

Dawa said, hugging her husband's neck and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

**D: Let me help you with this.**

Azari sat down in the chair and Dawa crouched down at his feet, she carefully removed Azari's shoes and began to massage his feet.

**A: Dawa? You don’t have to do this every time I get ho...**

Dawa looked at Azari, reproving what he was about to say "home".

**A: Every time I get here.**

Azari decided not to use the word of discord.

**D: So says tradition. Serve your husband well. You got a good wife, Azari.**

**A: It's a very old tradition. Why don’t you sit down this time and I'll massage your feet?**

Dawa laughed at Azari, thinking he was joking, as he suggested something so absurd.

**D: Don’t you like my massage?**

**A: No, I do. I do like it. Very much, but...**

**D: Would you like it to be any other way? I can change.**

**A: No. Not really. Forget it...**

Azari smiled uncomfortably.

**A: You look beautiful today.**

Dawa glanced briefly at Azari and smiled, then looked back at his feet.

**A: Dawa, what did you do today?**

**D: I've been thinking about my prince all day.**

Azari gave a small and ungraceful smile.

**A: Did you do anything else?**

**D: Like what?**

**A: Did you walk? Did you talk to anyone?**

**D: Every day you ask me this...**

Dawa smiled.

**D: I only have thoughts for my prince, future king of Wakanda...**

Azari sighed.

**D: But I talked to my mother on the phone.**

**A: Oh yeah? And how is she?**

Azari asked excitedly, wanting to have some News from his wife.

**D: Happy to have a son-in-law like you.**

**A: But is she okay?**

**D: Yes.**

Azari stared at Dawa, hoping she'd say something else to continue the conversation, but she was quiet.

**A: Dawa, would you like to shop? Women like that, right?**

**D: If my husband allows it.**

**A: Of course. You can buy whatever you want. I can ask Torunn to go with you, or Sarah, she's James's sister and she dresses well.**

Dawa made an expression of contempt, and at the same time she laughed, considering this suggestion as a joke.

**A: What do you think?**

**D: My prince, I have no desire to contaminate myself with other cultures, but if that's what you want, I will.**

Dawa smiled and Azari frowned a little.

**A: I just think you could have more friends. You never leave. I want you to feel good and happy.**

**D: A dedicated wife stays home for when her husband needs it. I am very happy with my prince.**

Azari sighed in frustration.

It has been like this every day since he married Dawa in a beautiful ceremony in Wakanda. They never talked, because Dawa only knows how to praise Azari, never speaks of her and Azari feels that he knows nothing about the woman with whom he married.

Having the first time with Dawa was very difficult. Even more than by their culture, the family waits for the marriage to be consecrated in the hall, in front of their room. Dawa was very nervous that night, and that also made Azari nervous, even more because Dawa just lay on the bed like a piece of wood, totally without emotion.

Taking Dawa’s virginity that way was the worst thing Azari ever did in his life, and after that night, he barely looked for her again, it was horrible the feeling of having sex with someone who didn’t want to have sex with you.

**A: Dawa, your prince would be very happy if you went out with his friends to chat and shop.**

Dawa didn’t smile, she doesn’t want contact with Americans, but neither will deny Azari anything, she just nodded.

**D: As you wish, my prince.**

**A: I'm going to call her right now, you can go over the weekend. You're going to have fun, I'm sure.**

Azari was more excited than Dawa to get her out and have fun, he got up and took the phone in his pocket and dialed a number.

...

**Sarah: Mom, why would she say such things?**

**N: She's upset and drugged.**

**Sarah: Drugged?**

**N: Her eyes were red and her pupils dilated. But you can stop crying now.**

**Sarah: How can I not cry? She hates me, she hates you and Dad. I never imagined that, it hurts a lot!**

**N: Sarah. No matter what she said, she's just confused. The drugs did it.**

**Sarah: You mean she does not feel what she told us?**

**N: No, I believe she feels that in a certain way, just like when we think about situations that upset us, but we don’t give much importance because the good part prevails.**

Sarah looked confused.

**N: She is sad? Yes. Is she hurt by things from the past? Yes. She’s upset with me, with you, with your father, with her mother and with herself. It's all about the things she couldn’t express before, and maybe she didn’t even want to say all that, but it came out in the time of anger... But we have to understand her, because we love her and we have to do everything for her to recover from this.**

**_J: Mom, I'm home._ **

James yelled as he entered the house.

**N: We're in the kitchen!**

Natasha spoke louder for James to hear.

Sarah felt her cell vibrate and her heart stopped to see who it was, she showed the viewer to Natasha.

**N: Won’t you answer?**

**Sarah: Why is he calling me???**

**N: I think you have to pick the call, to know it.**

**J: Who's calling you?**

**Sarah: Azari. What does he want? Do you know???**

**J: Maybe he wanna talk to me.**

**N: Why call Sarah, then?**

**Sarah: Yeah. Why call me???**

**J: Maybe he couldn’t call my phone.**

**N: Sarah, take this call!**

**J: Leave it, it must be for me. I answer.**

James picked up Sarah's cell phone and answered the call.

**_J: Hey, Azari!_ **

**_A: J-James?_ **

**_J: Yeah, myself. You called my sister's cell phone, you dumb._ **

**_A: I know, I want to talk to her._ **

**_J: You do??_ **

James frowned and then shrugged, he handed the cell phone to Sarah.

**J: He wants to talk to you.**

Sarah's eyes widened and she was almost freaking out.

**Sarah: What? About what??**

Sarah whispered but Azari coul still listen.

**J: I don’t know, take it.**

James handed the cell phone to Sarah and she was flushed, she took the phone and left the kitchen and had to take a deep breath three times to be able to speak.

**_Sarah: Hello?_ **

Sarah closed her eyes tight, all this preparation and yet she said hello as if she were five years old, her voice came out much thinner than it actually is.

**_A: Sarah, how are you?_ **

**_Sarah: I... I don’t know._ **

**_A: You don’t know?_ **

**_Sarah: Why are you calling me?_ **

**_A: Your voice sounds sad._ **

Sarah sighed and Azari could hear.

**_A: Is something bothering you? Am I disturbing you?_ **

**_Sarah: No! It's not... it's just..._ **

Sarah looked at the kitchen and then she walked to the living room, she opened the door and decided to stay on the porch for no one to hear her being super stupid.

**_Sarah: There are some things going on here at home right now._ **

**_A: You can talk to me if you need to._ **

**_Sarah: No, Azari, I don’t want to bore you with my stuff._ **

**_A: You don’t bore me, Sarah. Actually, I need someone who really talks._ **

**_Sarah: What do you mean?_ **

**_A: Nothing..._ **

Azari cleared his throat, because Dawa was looking at him.

**_Sarah: It's just that my sister Maggie, she's pissed at me._ **

**_A: You have always been great friends, it must be Nothing serious._ **

**_Sarah: Yeah, but this time it’s really bad..._ **

Sarah remembered the things Maggie said and began to cry again.

**_Sarah: I'm sorry..._ **

**_A: All right, just breathe..._ **

Sarah took a deep breath.

**_A: That’s right._ **

**_Sarah: It's just that I think she hates me now and that she's not going to talk to me ever again, I'm afraid she'll leave and I'll never see her again and... I'm afraid I've destroyed her career._ **

**_A: How could you destroy her career?_ **

**_Sarah: I told Daddy something and she's grounded for it._ **

**_A: I'm sure you spoke for her sake and not to hurt her._ **

Sarah nodded and ran her hand over her face to wipe away the tears.

**_A: Listen Sarah, you're a good girl. I see no trace of evil in you. Anyone can identify this and I know that Maggie may be upset right now, but she'll understand that._ **

**_Sarah: That's what my mom said._ **

**_A: So, did you see? Don’t cry anymore, your face looks a lot more beautiful with a smile._ **

**_Sarah: Do you think so?_ **

Sarah smiled through sobs and tears.

**_A: Yes. You look a lot more beautiful smiling._ **

**_Sarah: Thank you, Azari. You helped me a lot. I just talked and talked and didn’t listen what you had to say, what do you need from me?_ **

**_A: Oh yes, I wondered if you were free Friday afternoon?_ **

**_Sarah: Friday?_ **

**_A: Yeah, but by the end of the afternoon, I have some things to do during the day, but don’t worry, tell your dad I'll drop you off at night._ **

**_Sarah: At night??_ **

Sarah was extremely nervous. Was Azari calling her on a date? But he is married, would he be the type to cheat? And she's the type who would be the other? How did this all happen?

**_A: What do you say?_ **

Sarah is not the type that is the other and she also has a boyfriend, she can’t accept it at all, she knows it.

**_A: Sarah? Are you on the line?_ **

**_Sarah: Yeah. I'm free Friday. Yes I can go..._ **

**_A: Okay, I'll send a car for you._ **

**_Sarah: All right._ **

Azari hung up and Sarah opened her mouth, trying to understand why she accepted Azari's invitation, she couldn’t even tell Natasha about it, for fear Natasha that wouldn’t allowed because Azari is married.

 _But I'm just going to talk with him, nothing more. I will tell him that if he wants to stay with me, he has to leave his wife because I am nobody's lover_. Sarah thought decisively, already rushing over what this meeting is all about on Friday night.

...

When it was late at night, Sarah complained of being sleepy and she wanted to sleep, but the room was still locked.

Natasha went upstairs and asked Sarah to wait in the hallway for her to talk to Steve.

Natasha entered her room and closed the door.

Steve was lying on his side in bed in the dark. Natasha came over and lay on the bed, already hugging him.

Natasha sniffed Steve's shoulder and kissed the same area.

**N: I love you, Steve. Don’t suffer like this. It hurts in me.**

Steve didn’t answer and Natasha knew he was awake.

Natasha kissed Steve's shoulder again and then kissed his neck several times and then his cheek.

**N: Steve...**

Steve still didn’t want to talk and Natasha didn’t want him to remain isolated.

**N: Please, talk to me.**

Steve didn’t speak.

Natasha sighed and sat on the bed.

**N: Where's Sarah going to sleep? With the twins?**

Steve didn’t answer, Natasha understood as a yes.

**N: Maggie's been in that room for hours, Steve, she needs dinner...**

Natasha waited for some reaction from Steve, but he didn’t want to talk at all.

**N: Give me the key and I'll try to make her eat. Steve? Steve??**

Steve closed his eyes only.

Natasha got out of bed and left the room.

**Sarah: So what, mom?**

**N: I'll get you to sleep in the twins' bedroom.**

**Sarah: Really? Do I have to sleep on the floor?**

**N: Sarah, don’t complain, okay? Your father is not well now. Don’t upset him more than he already is. Let's go.**

Natasha improvised a bed on the floor of the twins room for Sarah to sleep, then Natasha left the room and knocked on Maggie's bedroom door.

**N: Maggie? Is everything okay in there?**

No answer.

**N: Are you hungry?**

Silence again.

**N: If you get hungry, I'll be here in my room and I'll listen to you and bring you something to eat. OK? Maggie?**

Only silence, Natasha sighed and went to bed with Steve, who didn’t say a word to her.

Only the next morning, Steve decided to speak, he was already on his feet when Natasha woke up.

**S: I already called her grandmother, she claims she doesn’t know anything about the drugs and she is coming here, she said that she arrives on Saturday.**

Natasha was still sleepy, but watched Steve.

**S: And I already warned her that Maggie will no longer live with her or traveling, much less following this modeling career.**

Steve still spoke like someone who is very angry.

**N: Steve, don’t you think that maybe...**

**S: It's already decided, Natasha. Sorry, but it doesn’t matter what you think about what I decided.**

Steve interrupted Natasha’s speech and she just nodded, it would be pointless to discuss this now.

**S: The twins are already ready for school. Sarah is in the shower and I'm going to wake Maggie and take her to see a doctor.**

**N: Steve...**

**S: She's going to the doctor!**

Steve left the room and unlocked Maggie's room, he looked at all the broken things on the floor, Maggie was lying on the rug on a lot of things.

**S: Maggie!**

Steve called once, and Maggie woke up, feeling a lot of headache and dizziness.

**S: Get up, take a shower and get dressed. Now.**

**M: I won’t...**

**S: You will do what I tell you to do. Do you need me to get you up and give you a bath?**

Maggie looked disgusted.

**M: Of course not!**

**S: Then get up!**

Sarah appeared behind Steve, wrapped in a towel.

**Sarah: I need some cloths.**

**S: Then get in and pick it up!**

Sarah looked at Steve with a frown, not understanding why she is also being treated coldly.

Maggie stared at Sarah coming into the room.

**M: I don’t want you here.**

Maggie said to Sarah.

**S: It's her room too. Come on, Maggie. Move.**

Steve knocked hard on the door, he was very aggresive.

Maggie got up snorting and picked up a change of clothes and towel, then went into the bathroom.

Steve went downstairs and sat at the table to take breakfast with the twins. Natasha arrived soon after, and so did Sarah.

**S: Maggie! James!**

Steve shouted.

**_J: I'm coming down._ **

James ran downstairs and approached the table, he slapped Sarah's ear lightly.

**Sarah: Ouch! Moooomm!**

**N: James!**

James laughed and took a toast from the table.

**J: I'm going, family. See you later.**

**S: You're not going anywhere, you can sit down and have breakfast.**

Natasha stared at Steve, noticing something wrong with his behaviour. James wasn’t expecting for this too.

**J: I... uh... I can’t stay, I'm late actually.**

**S: James, you're going to sit down and have breakfast with us.**

**J: B-but dad, the Avengers... I can’t stay.**

Natasha looked at Steve and then at James.

**N: You may be late for a little bit today.**

James sat down at the table and snorted.

**S: Maggie!**

Maggie appeared on the stairs with her arms folded.

**S: Sit down.**

**M: No, thank you.**

**S: I'm not asking.**

**M: Even that I’m obliged to? I don’t want to eat!**

**S: Are you coming to the table or am I going to have to get you there?**

**M: Stop threatening me!**

Maggie went down the stairs and sat down at the table, she remained with her arms folded.

**S: Eat!**

**M: No.**

**S: Maggie!**

**N: Steve!**

Natasha frowned.

**N: That's enough. She's here... She eats if she wants.**

Sarah, James and the twins were quiet just watching Natasha, Steve, and Maggie.

**N: Come on, guys, eat. Otherwise you will be late.**

Everyone but Maggie began to eat after Natasha spoke.

And after breakfast everyone left, including Steve who took Maggie to the doctor, who asked for some tests to see the levels of the drugs in her body.

The doctor suggested a support group for Maggie as well as individual and family therapy with a psychologist.

Maggie said she wouldn’t attend any of that, and Steve said she would, and the next day he took her to the psychologist's office. Steve walked into the office for the first appointment, he said everything that happened, then the psychologist asked him to leave for her to talk to Maggie, but Maggie stayed the entire session silent.

The psychologist asked Steve to bring Natasha to the next session, as they too would need support at that time.

...

On Friday, after finishing the breakfast, Sarah got up and took her backpack to go toschool.

**Sarah: Dad?**

Steve looked at Sarah, and she wasn’t sure how to talk to him because his mood was still very bad.

**Sarah: I have this thing today after school with some friends. And it's in the mall, I wanted to know if I can go.**

**S: No.**

**Sarah: But...**

**S: No.**

**N: Yes, you can.**

Steve looked at Natasha.

**N: She didn’t do anything wrong, okay? You won’t treat all your children as if they all have used drugs. It's not fair and I'm tired of seeing you treating everyone badly in this house.**

Sarah stared at Steve and Natasha.

**N: Go to class, Sarah. Do you need money for the mall?**

**Sarah: Y-yes.**

**N: I'll leave it at the table, we won’t be home in the afternoon.**

**Sarah: Okay...**

Sarah sighed and looked at Natasha.

**Sarah: Mom, are you going to fight?**

**N: I don’t know. It depends on your father. Go...**

Sarah sighed and left the house to go to school.

**S: Natasha.**

**N: Steve!**

Natasha interrupted him this time.

**N: We're going to talk, yes, and maybe we will have terrible fight, but we'll do that after the Maggie’s appointment today, because I want to make sure you're not going through any trauma before that.**

Natasha got up from the table and went upstairs, feeling very annoyed.

...

Later, when Sarah arrived from school, she went to the bedroom and Maggie was lying on the bed reading a book.

Sarah is very intimidated by Maggie now, and maybe shes even afraid of her.

Sarah picked a dress from her wardrobe, and Maggie watched her.

**M: Uh... a date...**

Sarah looked at Maggie and noticed her sarcasm, so she didn’t answer. Natasha advised her to not respond to Maggie's teasing.

Sarah picked up her clothes and went to change in the twins' bedroom, she took almost two hours getting ready and shortly after, she heard a car honking.

Sarah smiled and ran down the stairs, a limo was waiting for her, the driver opened the door for her to come in and Sarah was loving all of that.

Sarah was taken to the mall and when she arrived there, she called Azari's cell phone.

**_A: Sarah! Hi!_ **

**_Sarah: It’s me. I've already arrived. Where are you?_ **

**_A: In front of the movie theaters. Do you know where it is?_ **

**_Sarah: Yeah, I know, I'm close._ **

Sarah hung up the phone and started to feel her heart freeze with excitement as walked to the theater.

Sarah saw Azari standing there in front of the theater, she stopped for a second and took a deep breath, then she walked to him.

**Sarah: Azari?**

Azari turned and smiled at the sight of Sarah.

**A: Sarah!**

Sarah smiled.

**Sarah: So...**

**\- My prince, I'm sorry for the delay.**

Sarah frowed a bit, at the sight of a very handsome black girl and her smiled faded away when she saw the hand of the girl on Azari's shoulder, displaying a huge diamond ring.

**\- The bathroom row was big.**

The woman looked at Sarah from head to toe, judging her, but Nothing to call Azari’s atention for that..

**A: Dawa, this is Sarah, James's sister. And Sarah... this is Dawa, my wife.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, Sarah.


	4. Chapter 4

**Azari: Dawa, this is Sarah, James's sister.**

Dawa smiled with superiority to Sarah, who was trying to smile and hide how disappointed and at the same time ashamed she was by this situation.

**A: I called you here because Dawa wants to shop and James Always says that you really like to buy clothes. Dawa doesn’t know anyone around here and you are the most spontaneous person I know and who dresses better too.**

**Sarah: Me?**

Sarah frowned, surprised with this statement.

**A: Yes, you.**

Azari smiled.

**A: And I thought you could help Dawa buy new clothes and maybe you could be friends. And if you want to buy anything for yourself, feel free to do it, it's on me.**

**Sarah: Thank you, but... I don’t know if I can stay long.**

**A: I'll take you home later. Do you want me to talk to your father? I can call him.**

**Sarah: Oh, no! No... no need at all. I'll call him later.**

Sarah smiled awkwardly again, her parentes believe that sh eis there with her friends, not with Azari.

**Dawa: So let's get started?**

Sarah nodded and saw Dawa hold Azari's hand and start walking with him through the mall, Sarah followed the two and couldn’t stop thinking that this whole situation is very humiliating and she can only be glad that non of her friends is in there, and that she didn’t commented about this date, I mean, meeting... so no one would need to know about her embarrassment.

Worse yet, Sarah felt like sending a message to one particurlary person to tell her what's going on, but she can’t, because that person hates her now. Her sister. Maggie.

...

A few hours later, Natasha and Steve were in the living room, watching TV alone, but just waiting for Sarah to arrive.

Steve had already thought about going to the mall three times to see what Sarah was doing, but Natasha stopped him and threatened to knock him out of their bedroom for a week.

Azari's car pulled up in front of Sarah's house and she couldn’t even look him in the eye.

**A: Thank you very much for the company, Sarah. We had a lot of fun today.**

**Dawa: No doubt, it was... very... uhm... interesting. I can’t wait to see you again.**

Sarah nodded, but she was aware that Dawa was just pretending to be nice. Her words did not match the look on her face.

**Sarah: Thanks for the ride.**

Sarah got out of the car and waited for the car leave to go to her home.

From the garden, Sarah spotted the window of her bedroom, the light on, and Maggie looking at her and walking out the window when Sarah looked at her.

Sarah sighed and she wanted to cry now, finally that nightmare ended, but it's a shame she'll feel for the rest of her life.

Sarah entered the house and looked at her parents, more specifically at Natasha.

Sarah could cry with her, her mother wouldn’t think she was an idiot, they became very close friends, Sarah tells almost everything for Natasha, but Sarah feared that Natasha would judge her as a slut because she thought she was going to have a date with a married man, and Natasha would probably punish her for it.

**S: Is everything okay, princess?**

Sarah looked at Steve and nodded.

**N: You don’t look okay.**

**Sarah: It's nothing. Just a little discussion with the girls at school.**

**S: About what?**

Steve raised his eyebrows.

**S: If I may know, right?**

**Sarah: Just graduation stuff, Dad. Nothing more.**

**N: Did you have dinner?**

**Sarah: I ate something at the mall.**

**S: Do you want to watch this movie with us? Tomorrow there is no class, you can stay up late.**

**Sarah: No... Thank you. I am tired.**

Sarah walked to the stairs.

**N: Sarah, if you don’t want to sleep in your room, because of Maggie, you can sleep with the twins again.**

**Sarah: I need my own bed, but if it gets weird in there, I'll go there.**

**N: Okay, baby.**

Sarah went upstairs and sighed again, now thinking of Maggie and the strange mood in the room.

Sarah spent the last few days sleeping with the twins because she felt like an intruder in her own bedroom. Maggie made her feel this way and she didn’t even say a word to Sarah, it was just the way she looked at her that made Sarah feel like she wasn’t welcome there.

When Sarah arrived in the hall, the door to the twins' room was opened.

**Charlotte: Sarah, do you want to see the rocket that dad gave to us?**

**Sarah: Not now, Lotte.**

**Ch: Not now, Lotte...**

Charlotte repeated Sarah’s words mockingly as she rolled her eyes. Sarah ignored her and continued walking toward her bedroom.

**Ch: You never have time!!!**

Sarah stopped in the bedroom door and looked at Charlotte, she thought to say something to her, but she wasn’t in the mood for it, she just wants her bed and some peace to muck the shame of the night.

Sarah entered the room and Maggie was lying down, she looked at Sarah, but Sarah avoided making eye contact, she left her purse on the floor and just lay in bed.

Sarah lay on her side, facing the wall, so she wouldn’t have to face Maggie.

Sarah was a little nervous, afraid Maggie would start a fight now about the room, but Maggie said nothing, so Sarah just sighed and closed her eyes.

About ten minutes later, Maggie heard Sarah sniffing.

Maggie looked in the direction of Sarah and saw her run a hand over her nose or face, she couldn’t tell from where she was.

**M: Are you with a cold or crying?**

Sarah was crying softly yes and she didn’t think Maggie would notice.

Sarah took a deep breath, just to hold back the tears, she ran her hand over her cheek once more and then lay still.

Maggie sat on the bed and watched Sarah.

**M: Crying then...**

Maggie shook her head and waited for Sarah to say something, but she was silent.

**M: If you're not blabbering about it, it's because it was serious this time. What happened? Broke your nails?**

Maggie laughed at her own joke and then broke the smile when Sarah showed no reaction.

Maggie sighed and rolled her eyes.

**M: Okay... I give up. What happened?**

Sarah continued in silence.

**M: Are you going to make the mysterious type now?**

**Sarah: Stop judging me! I'm not doing anything! Just leave me alone, okay? I don’t want to fight, just leave me, Please!!!**

Sarah cringed in bed and Maggie watched her for a few minutes.

Maggie got up and walked over to Sarah's bed, she sat on the edge of Sarah's bed and stared at her.

**M: What is it?**

**Sarah: Maggie, please. I know you hate me now, but stop torturing me. Just for today, okay? I just want to be quiet and in my house.**

Sarah sobbed and had to wipe away more tears.

**M: I'm not torturing you. Not now. I am worried.**

Sarah turned her face a little and looked at Maggie, she wanted to see if she was being sarcastic or not. It did not seem to be.

**M: For real... what happened? Your boyfriend?**

Sarah shook her head.

**Sarah: Just something stupid, like you said, I'm stupid.**

Sarah rolled her eyes at herself and looked back at the wall.

Maggie sighed and put her hand on Sarah's arm.

**M: Look... I...**

Maggie sighed again, confused by what she had to say.

**M: I'm so sorry for calling you that.**

Sarah frowned a little, she did not expect such an attitude from Maggie, she was so rude all these days, rude and sarcastic.

**Sarah: Don’t you think I'm stupid?**

**M: Maybe a little. You’re not good at anything in school, not even in physical education.**

Sarah looked serious at Maggie, but then began to laugh. They both laughed.

Sarah lay on her with her belly up and kept looking at Maggie, she stopped laughing and looked serious.

**Sarah: Do you really hate me?**

**M: What do you think?**

Sarah was silent, she looked down and then at Maggie.

**Sarah: You seemed to be serious about that.**

**M: Have you ever felt angry with Dad and Natasha? When they punished you, or said “no” to something that you wanted?**

**Sarah: Yes.**

**M: You didn’t stop loving them.**

**Sarah: Yeah, but I never said I hated them.**

Maggie looked at Sarah, hoping she realized she was lying.

**Sarah: Okay. I said, but...**

**M: It's the same thing! That's what we feel in the moment we are upset.**

**Sarah: But you never talked to me that way.**

**M: Sarah, I'm still angry and hurt. You betrayed me.**

**Sarah: I did it for your sake. Can’t you see?**

**M: I lost my career, Sarah... Modeling was everything to me and losing it now... Model career ends early, I could not stop now.**

**Sarah: I'm sorry for that, but my mom is going to try to convince dad. She always does.**

**M: Whatever...**

Maggie sighed.

**Sarah: So you hate me and love me?**

**M: I guess.**

**Sarah: Are we still friends?**

**M: I don’t know. I can’t forgive you yet.**

Sarah looked away and frowned a little.

**M: But I don’t want to see you cry.**

**Sarah: Thank you... I guess...**

Sarah shook her head slightly, feeling stupid for thanking her, she didn’t think exactly what she was saying.

**M: So do you want to tell me?**

**Sarah: I don’t know if I should.**

**M: Don’t you trust me? After all your secrets that I kept for so long? You are very ungrateful...**

Maggie prepared to get up, but Sarah hold her arm.

**Sarah: No, please. I'll tell you. It's because my mom can’t know about it, she would kill me.**

**M: What did you do?**

**Sarah: So Azari called me this week and...**

Sarah told the whole story to Maggie, who listened to everything carefully and didn’t think she was stupid this time, she listened to Sarah as she used to hear and in the end Maggie only consoled Sarah saying that everything was fine, since no one besides her saw it happen.

The two of them stayed up late talking about it and Sarah felt better that she was apparently okay with Maggie again.

...

On Saturday morning, the girls were woken up by Steve, he was calling them from the first floor of the house. In fact, Steve called only Maggie.

Maggie appeared in the living room still in her pajamas and she smiled widely at the sight of her grandmother.

**M: Grandma!**

Maggie went to Alice Carter and hugged her.

**AC: How are you, Margaret?**

**M: I’m in jail! Can you talk to him?**

Maggie referred to Steve, but didn’t look at him.

**M: Look at my skin, grandma. I'm pale! He will not let me out and he says my career is over and he said I can’t live with you anymore. Grandma, tell him I'm going with you.**

Alice smiled.

**AC: Slow down, Margaret. I took a long trip. I need to talk to your dad first.**

Maggie frowned.

**M: But will you talk to him about me living with you?**

**AC: Of course.**

**M: Grandma...**

**AC: Margaret, please. I'm going to talk to your father alone.**

**S: I just called you here to greet your grandmother, Maggie. You can go back to your room.**

**M: See? He only gives me orders!**

Maggie complained to her grandmother.

**AC: Go, Margaret.**

Maggie nodded and kissed her grandmother's face, she turned and rolled her eyes at Steve, then went upstairs.

**S: Mrs. Carter, I'd rather talk to you at a coffee shop nearby.**

**AC: But that’s an outrage! I'm tired of traveling!**

**S: I know. I'm so sorry for that, but here they can hear our conversation.**

**AC: Oh, yeah, you have like a thousand of kids… Alright, let’s go then.**

Alice left with Steve and they went to the coffe shop and after ordering two coffees, Steve was about to start the conversation, but Alice gestured for him to wait.

**AC: I know what you're going to say and my answer is: she's big enough to decide who to live with.**

Steve hoped she would want to talk about the drugs, not argue with who Maggie goes to live with.

**S: Under your custody, my daughter was using drugs. Did you know that?**

**AC: Of course not! What outrage!**

**S: And what do you think of that? Do you think it's normal? Is it acceptable that she stays in this world exposed to these things?**

**AC: Do you think locking her up will solve it? She'll just hate you.**

**S: I don’t care if she hates me.**

**AC: Oh my dear, we know you care.**

**S: You came to solve her problem with drugs or not?**

**AC: I came to get my granddaughter back.**

Steve took a deep breath and shook his head.

**S: She's not going anywhere.**

**AC: I can ask the guard... The judge will defer in favor of whom Maggie wants, she is old enough to decide.**

**S: Do this, I will not let her go!**

**AC: You will have no choice.**

**S: Do you want her to get high all the time?**

**AC: I want her to continue to receive the privileges she can have living with me.**

**S: Look what the privilege did to her... She was a sweet and kind girl when she left here. The one that is there at home, is a different person. How did you let that happen?**

**AC: She had the best educators, but there may be deviations of conduct, which can be mended with the best therapists. In Europe, we have the best.**

**S: She will not come back! I thought you were here to help, but if your intention is to fight, you should have stayed home.**

Steve got up and took out a ten-dollar bill from his wallet, he left it on the table.

**S: Have a good time, Alice. And... Please don’t try anything. You will regret it.**

**AC: Captain America threatening me... What a funny thing!**

Alice said sarcastically, Steve left the coffee shop and returned home, he went into the house and Natasha was in the living room, cutting and peeling vegetables.

**N: Steve?**

Natasha stared at him.

**N: What happened there? Why this look on your face?**

**S: Alice came here to fight only... She wants Maggie's custody and threatened to go to court!**

**N: She would win.**

Steve frowned.

**N: I'm sorry, Steve, but it's the truth. Maggie is no longer a child, she can choose who to stay with and in about one year or less she will be independent. Neither you nor Alice will have the power to decide what she does with her life.**

**S: Is that how you encourage me?**

Natasha shrugged.

**N: You don’t want to hear me.**

**S: You're too liberal.**

**N: That conversation we already had and we fought too much, don’t you think?**

Steve walked over to the couch and before sitting down, he took the twin packs off the couch and placed them on the floor.

**S: What do you think I have to do?**

**N: Talk, Steve. As long as she doesn’t understand that what she is doing is damaging her body, she will not stop. And I think she knows damn well that she's being harmed and maybe she wants that...**

**S: To get damaged?**

**N: Yes.**

**S: The psychologist will help with that.**

**N: Yes, but they don’t operate miracles, Steve. She has a problem with us, specifically. We have to sort this out.**

**S: She doesn’t want to talk.**

**N: You don’t want to hear... and I get your reasons, because it hurts, I know. I get it, but we can’t give up on her.**

**S: I never thought about giving up.**

**N: We have to give her a vote of trust, you know? And some space for her. We can’t keep her grounded in her room forever, or watch over her for 24 hours. Nobody can handle this.**

**S: I just want to prevent it from happening again.**

**N: So we'll talk to her until we sort this out or you talk to her and try to make her say what she is feeling, why is she so mad... And try to reconsider about her career...**

**S: No!**

**N: Steve!**

**S: No, Natasha! No way!**

Natasha sighed in frustration.

**S: The twins never keep their backpacks in the right place, I'll call them.**

**N: Wait, I need to see their agenda, I forgot to see it yesterday.**

Steve took the agendas in their backpacks, he got Nick's, and handed Charlotte's to Natasha.

**S: No notes here for Nick.**

**N: I can’t fucking believe it!!!**

**S: What??**

**N: We're being called in the twins' school again!**

Natasha sighed and handed Charlotte's agenda to Steve.

Steve read the message on the agenda.

**S: Lotte and Nick! Come down, please!**

Steve raised his voice, because the twins were on the second floor, when they heard, they ran down the stairs, but they stopped when they saw Steve with the school agenda in his hand.

**S: Your teacher called us to talk, Charlotte. You know why?**

Charlotte was silent and was slow to reply.

**N: What are we going to find out when we get to school on Monday?**

**Ch: But they were being mean with Nick!**

**S: Who?**

**N: And how would you know that? You are not in the same classroom and I specifically asked you two to not be together during lunch.**

**Ch: I was just going to get an apple with Nick.**

**N: Right…**

**Ch: Mother, they are very mean! They make Nick sad!**

**N: How they do that?**

**Ch: They call him retarded. He is not retarded.**

**N: He's not retarded, but people don’t understand Nick, because he doesn’t talk and when people don’t understand something, they tend to be a little stupid.**

**S: What did you do to defend your brother?**

**Ch: I punched Michael's face! The teacher said that I broke his nose and that I was going to be grounded, but I don’t care and I would punch his face again, right, Nick?**

****

**S: Charlotte, violence is not the answer. This is not how it works, baby. You're giving the wrong point of view of it to your brother.**

**N: And you're grounded.**

**Ch: I was defending my brother! It’s not fair!**

**N: Charlotte, Nick has to learn to defend himself. You say you love him, but you don’t let him act alone.**

Charlotte looked at Nick and then at Natasha.

**Ch: He needs me!**

**N: No. He doesn’t. You're not him, we've talked about this before. Boundaries, remember?**

Charlotte took a deep breath.

**S: Look, we know your intention is to do good and I love the fact that you love your borther very much to the point you would defend him from any threat, but your have to remember that you won’t be together all the time and forever. Have you stopped to think what would happen to him, when you’re not around? How will Nick be independent?**

**Ch: I know, Dad. But people are just horrible, but I know he has to learn, but I don’t like when he is sad, I feel bad.**

**S: You feel bad because you have a great sense of justice in you and a good heart.**

**N: Same as your father.**

**S: Yes but I don’t solve my problems with violence.**

Natasha frowned a little and looked at Charlotte.

**N: You can go to your room now.**

Charlotte and Nick walked to the stairs.

**N: Not you, Nick. You can stay with us, you did nothing wrong.**

Nick looked at Charlotte and Charlotte looked at Natasha, who indicated the stairs with her head.

**Ch: It’s alright, Nick.**

Charlotte went upstairs and Nick looked at Natasha, without knowing what to do.

Natasha smiled and tapped the couch beside her, calling him to sit down.

Nick sat down next to Natasha and she kissed his forehead.

**N: Do you want to help us? We're peeling the vegetables for lunch.**

Nick didn’t answer if he wanted to or not. Natasha gave Nick a peeler anyway.

**N: Just do it like that.**

Natasha demonstrated to Nick.

**N: Got it?**

Nick nodded and began peeling the vegetables.

Natasha and Steve looked at each other.

**S: He doesn’t seem excited about it.**

**N: He just needs to get distracted.**

Steve, Natasha and Nick prepared the lunch together.

Natasha and Nick were finishing to put the food on the table.

**N: Steve, would you call the girls?**

**S: Okay.**

Steve went up the stairs and knocked on Charlotte's bedroom door.

**S: Lunch.**

Steve went to Sarah and Maggie's bedroom, he knocked on the door and waited.

**Sarah: Come in!**

Steve opened the door and looked at both of them.

Maggie turned away when she saw it was Steve.

**S: Lunch is ready.**

**Sarah: Okay, I'm going down.**

**S: If you don’t want to come down, it's okay, Maggie.**

Maggie looked at Steve and frowned slightly, surprised that he didn’t force her to get up now and go down.

Steve left the room and went down to the dining room.

Charlotte was already at the table with Natasha and Nick. Sarah came down after Steve and ten minutes later, Maggie appeared on the stairs and stood looking at them.

Natasha and Steve looked at each other briefly, then looked at Maggie.

**N: It’s Fricassé, Maggie. I know you like...**

Maggie stood on the stairs for a few seconds and then she went down the rest of the stairs and sat down at the table.

**Ch: It's yummy, Mags.**

Maggie looked at Charlotte.

**N: Do you want a piece, Maggie?**

Maggie looked down and nodded.

Natasha cut a piece of Fricassê and served it to Maggie.

Nick pointed to Maggie's plate.

**Ch: Yeah! Nick is right! Her piece was bigger than ours!**

**N: It was not!**

**Ch: It was bigger! You always put bigger for her!**

**Sarah: That's right, you always do that, Mom!**

**N: What?? I do not do such thing. Never did it.**

Natasha frowned, feeling outraged, then she looked at Maggie and blinked discreetly. Maggie was trying to remains serious, because she is still angry at her and Steve, but she couldn’t resist and smiled.

**S: I want another piece, please..**

**Ch: Me too! And Nick wants too!**

**N: Let Nick indicate that he wants more, Charlotte.**

**Sarah: Yes!!! Charlotte, you're so annoying.**

**Ch: You are annoying, a fat annoying redhead…**

**Sarah: I am not fat!**

**S: Charlotte!!!**

Charlotte ignored Steve and continued to look at Sarah.

**Ch: James said you're going to get fat again and you won’t even be able to pass on the door!**

Charlotte and Nick started to laugh and Sarah frowned.

**Sarah: What????? MOM! DAD! Look what James is saying about me!!!**

**S: I'll talk to him. Charlotte, I don’t want you talking to Sarah like that.**

**Ch: She is mean to me!**

**Sarah: No, I'm not!**

**Ch: Yes, you are!**

**Sarah: You ruin my stuff!**

**N: Oh my God, guys, why don’t you shut up and start eating? For God’s sake, every time it has to be this war. Steve, are you going to help me here or not?**

**S: I said I'll talk to James…**

**N: And only that? James is not even here!**

**S: But what do you want me to do??**

**Sarah: She should be grounded!!!**

**Ch: Shut up!**

**S: Charlotte!**

**N: Charlotte!**

Steve and Natasha talked together.

Maggie watched the discussion, and as she ate, she remembered some afternoons when they started arguing with each other, but then they started laughing at something funny and acted as if nothing had happened. Maggie never got into the argument, unless James poked her enough for it.

Maggie remembered the feeling of no belonging she felt at that time, she used to feel out of place with her family because she’s not expansive like they are. The only person who looks like her in the family, is Nick, because he doesn’t talk and has Charlotte who speaks for him.

Maggie also smiled again as she remembered that Natasha always served her plate with the biggest pieces when the food was very tasty and Natasha used to blink at her in the same way as she did a few minutes ago, it was like their special super secret.

Maggie watched as Natasha argued with her children and Steve and she felt a little sick about the things she told Natasha a few days ago when she was high.

Maggie thought Natasha was distracted by the discussion, but Natasha always knows when they are watching her, so she looked at Maggie and gave a small smile and a look that says that everything is okay.

Maggie sighed and turned her attention back to the food.


End file.
